Rights of the Terminally Ill Act 1995

The Rights of the Terminally Ill Act 1995 ( German Law on the Rights of terminally ill) is a controversial law of the Northern Territory of Australia, which legalized euthanasia, but is currently inactive.

Content and conclusion

After the administrator of the Northern Territory Austin had agreed to the ash, adopted on May 25, 1995 Law on 16 June 1995 and the amendments on 20 March 1996, the Act came into force on 1 July 1996. With a change in the Northern Territory (Self -Government ) Act 1978 ( Home Rule Act for the Northern Territory ) on 24 March 1997 by the Euthanasia Laws Act 1997 ( euthanasia law ), however, the Australian Federal lawmakers withdrew the Northern Territory has legislative authority for euthanasia laws in question and explained so that the law on the rights of terminally ill patients to be ineffective. Thus, the de facto law is still in force, but should not be applied, since it should not have to be adopted.

The law allowed that terminally ill patients - either through the direct participation of a physician or by the procurement of drugs by the doctor - were allowed to commit suicide. It demanded that ensured that the patient actually both terminally ill (which had to be confirmed by two physicians ) as well as the capacity to consent (which had to be confirmed by a psychiatrist ) were. The patient had to be at least 18 years old, have been informed of the consequences and a written request at the earliest 7 days after he had made up his mind to make expression. After at least an additional 48 hours, the physician could provide the assistance.

While the law was in force, four people committed suicide by its provisions. The first of them (and the first in the world, who ended his life by suicide ) was the cancer-stricken Bob Dent ( born 1930 ), who died on 22 September 1996. In addition, two other people had received permission to commit suicide before the law was invalidated.

German translations of the text of the law can be found in Wolfslast / Conrads (see literature) - the specified therein effective date (December 1997 ) is incorrect, at this time the law was ineffective by the Euthanasia Laws Act 1997 already again - and in revised form, including the provisions of the Euthanasia Laws Act 1997 in Lorenz (see literature).

News

The leader of the Australian Greens, Senator Bob Brown, in February 2008 a draft law Rights of the Terminally Ill ( Euthanasia Laws Repeal ) Bill 2008, German in the Australian Commonwealth Parliament draft law on the rights of terminally ill ( euthanasia laws, repeal ) submitted, has the lifting of Commonwealth legislation to content. The bill is based on the view that the Commonwealth should not arbitrarily ad hoc in the work of a democratically elected territorial Legislative Assembly to intervene, as it is done at the suggestion of conservative Kevin Andrews in 1997 by the Euthanasia Laws Act.

Australian Government senators support Brown's foray, the Territorial Parliament the right to decide on euthanasia legislation itself to concede again. Experts who, however, after in June 2008 in Sydney two women were found guilty of aiding and abetting suicide of an Alzheimer's patient, lifting the ban on euthanasia little promise.