Petition asking for cruel Territory Bill’s repeal gaining support

A PETITION calling on the federal government to repeal a Bill outlawing the NT being allowed to consider euthanasia laws is rapidly gaining support

• Territorians deserve same rights that 97 per cent of Australians already enjoy
• Editorial: Give us back our rights to discuss euthanasia in the NT
• NT Federal pollies support Territorians being given back the right to choose

A PETITION calling on the federal government to repeal a Private Member’s Bill outlawing euthanasia has already started to garner support.

The Council on the Ageing (COTA) NT launched a petition last month calling on the federal government to repeal Section 50A of the Northern Territory (Self Government) Act 1978 to allow the NT Legislature to enact laws dealing with voluntary assisted dying.

COTA chief executive Sue Shearer said the current laws were “unfair and unreasonable”.

“Territory citizens are being denied their democratic rights and the choice for end of life decisions solely based on where they live,” she said.

“Assisted dying is not a comfortable subject for a lot of people, and can become very emotive.

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“But reluctance to talk about death and dying can prevent future planning of care and medical intervention, and a terminally-ill person from expressing their final wishes.”

To support the petition, visit www.cotant.org.au/petition.

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