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| Paul Russell |
by Paul Russell
Last Wednesday (24th May 2017) the Tasmanian Parliament debated the latest assisted suicide and euthanasia bill to come before an Australian Parliament.
The final vote saw the bill, euphemistically entitled the ‘Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2016, defeated by a vote of two to one (16 votes to 8) in the Legislative Assembly.
In debate, Michael Ferguson MP criticised the euphemistic language of the bill, arguing that such a grave matter demands clarity:
“We all agree it is a matter of life and death and if we cannot strip away the euphemistic language and discuss the reality of the matter then it will not be an honest debate and the public interest would not be served.
“I ask those promoting this bill to be truly frank and honest in their descriptions, and for those listening to the debate today, if or when you hear those euphemisms, you need to remind yourself that the real words, however distasteful they are, are mercy killing and assisted suicide by a doctor.”
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