June 1, 2015
Dr Death returns to Canberra to host workshop on voluntary euthanasia
Henry Belot, The Canberra Times
Controversial euthanasia campaigner Philip Nitschke will host an exclusive workshop for elderly and seriously ill Canberrans based on a banned book which teaches suicide methods.
Dr Nitschke’s medical license was suspended in July after he admitted to helping 45-year-old Nigel Brayley take his own life, despite knowing he was not terminally ill.
The former ACT Senate candidate – who is appealing his suspension – will discuss poisons, prohibited drugs as well as the preparation of wills and legal issues during the workshop.
The June 10 session will be based on Nitschke’s book The Peaceful Pill which was banned in 2007 when the Classification Review Board ordered copies of the publication be removed from bookshelves.
“The ACT is obviously quite a progressive territory and a place where you will always have progressive initiatives,” said Exit’s International’s Australian co-ordinator Johannes Klabbers.
“There has been a bill before Parliament from the Australian Greens to make [voluntary euthanasia] legal and the ACT is a place where this could be launched quite successfully.”
Dr Nitschke’s book was banned in Australia because it taught readers to create prohibited central nervous system depressants known as barbiturates.
“We are not able to sell it and it is not available at our meeting but there is nothing stopping us from purchasing it from the US,” Mr Klabbers said.
“It’s still a free country and there is still freedom of speech so we can discuss these things but we cannot sell the handbook.”
Dr Nitschke was arrested at Auckland Airport in January 2008 for bringing copies of the book into the country before a series of public meetings.
Attendance at the Canberra workshop is limited to members of Nitschke’s advocacy group Exit International who are aged over 50, have a serious illness, or have requested special permission to attend.
“We have procedures in place to check people who do not satisfy those requirements and if you are underage we ask why they would want to be members or think about these issues,” Mr Klabbers said.
Paul Russell, the director of a national anti-euthanasia group known as Hope, said the restricted nature of the workshops indicated Exit wanted to keep certain discussions away from the media.
“I think a lot of people are concerned and have fears about what may happen at the close of their days so I can understand why people attend these events, but that certainly doesn’t mean I consider them a public service,” he said.
“I would like to see that organisation shut down because I think their focus is on suicide no matter which way you look at it or whatever name you use.”
The man known as “Dr Death” will also address a public audience before the closed session at Hughes Community Centre.
“The meeting is in two parts with the first being a public meeting that is free and open for anyone to attend and the second is close to members only,” Mr Klabbers said.
“The purpose of the meeting is to allow members to get together and get latest information on choices available to them at the end of their lives.”
Additional workshops will also be held in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.