Offshore euthanasia

April 8, 2001 6:01 PM

Offshore euthanasia - A pioneering Australian doctor has unveiled controversial plans to set up the world's first floating euthanasia clinic which would drop anchor off the Australian coast and administer lethal injections or drug dosages to terminally ill patients who wish to die in dignity. Certainly a unique way to circumvent the law!
posted by revbrian (6 comments total)

In most countries Euthanasia is illegal but Death Penalty isn't. Go figure.
posted by riffola at 9:43 PM on April 8, 2001

This is such a great idea.

Nitschke has a lot of credibility in Australia and ran the world's first euthanasia clinic in the Northern Territory before the laws were overturned by the Federal government.

The best thing about this scheme is that its so scalable. I wonder if they could get a tie in with P&O cruise ships...
posted by lagado at 11:08 PM on April 8, 2001

> I wonder if they could get a tie in with P&O cruise ships...

"Wait! Wait! I thought I was signing up for the 'Youth in Asia' cruise!"

Yes, it's an old, old pun. I just don't have the heart to put it down.
posted by pracowity at 12:33 AM on April 9, 2001

Well, it made me laugh anyway.

;-j
posted by lagado at 8:51 PM on April 9, 2001

Test
posted by nicwolff at 12:35 PM on April 11, 2001

Philip Nitschke (PDF) is very well respected in Australia (although he has his detractors) He is a very gentle, intelligent, and thoughtful person who holds my entire respect.

Euthanasia has always been available to those who have the "right" amount of funds or know the "right" doctors. In the past, the simple fact was that you were more likely to die with dignity if you were wealthy. Of course, this is one of the less often discussed areas of medical practice.

If you were poor and/or completely alone, you would have to simply hope your doctor had enough good sense to allow you to choose euthanasia if you so wished.

It irritates me that so often, the people who oppose euthanasia are those who have the most access to it, or whose personal ideology makes euthanasia the wrong decision for them, and they wish to impose their belief system on others.
posted by lucien at 2:09 AM on April 15, 2001