A pro-euthanasia group has released on the Internet an instructional video featuring the first of eight steps of making a euthanasia tablet.
Sydney, April 15 : A pro-euthanasia group has released on the Internet an instructional video featuring the first of eight steps of making a euthanasia tablet.
Dr. Philip Nitschke, the director of Exit International that shot the video 'Betty Cooks with Sodium' in Melbourne last week, said that more videos would be released to cover each of the remaining steps.
Terming the euthanasia pill 'a peaceful pill, he said that the videos were important to explain to the people that it was possible to develop a peaceful and reliable end of life strategy.
"Clearly some endeavour is required as will become clear in the films, but the possibility is there for those who wish to act on the information," news.com.au quoted him as saying in a statement.
Dr. Nitschke, who became the first doctor in the world to give legal voluntary euthanasia under the Rights of the Terminally Ill Act of the Northern Territory in 1996, said that the initial video was not enough to bring about a peaceful death.
"This shows only one of a number of necessary steps, to give the broader community an idea of the process involved. For the detailed discussion needed to put all the required steps together, individuals would need to attend Exit workshops," he said.
Margaret Tighe, the president of Right to Life Australia, said that the video and workshops were "dangerous things as they are teaching people how to kill".
"Dr Nitschke is really promoting suicide and you're not supposed to encourage people to committ suicide. It's all bad news. We need proper patient care not patient killing," she said.
She is also concerned that the Dr. Nitschke's methods of killing could be used for means other than euthanasia.
The launch of the video comes ahead of a series of workshops to be run in South Australia this week.
Each workshop will be followed by a public meeting, where people will be offered background information on voluntary euthanasia.
Only people aged 50 or above will be allowed to attend the workshops.
ANI