Opinion

This section of the Deliverance site publishes a range of opinion pieces on voluntary Euthanasia, the behaviour of politicians in relation to the issue, about Dr. Nitschke's actions in support of VE, this website, etc.

In late 1996 and early 1997 this website was used to announce when a person had made use of the ROTI Act (see January 97 news), to avoid the distorting feeding frenzy of the mainstream media on this issue. Besides establishing our tradition of republishing media coverage, this was the first time the internet was used in Australia to issue press releases or make press announcements. In fact the mainstream media in Australia first got news of the second person to use the NT ROTI Act via foreign wire service 4 hours after we posted the announcement. The impact of this event on the media, and the way Australian journalists now do their work, is documented by John Casimir in his book A Boy and his Mouse.

Featured here are excerpts from letters and email received by Dr Nitschke during this period, when terminally ill people in the NT were able to take advantage of the ROTI Act before the AMA/Churches campaign which led to the Senate decision to overturn the NT Act.

Retired sections of the Guestbook connected to this site are also published, including the comments of public opponents of VE who visited Deliverance, and our response to them, and to the Senate decision to overturn the NT ROTI Act.

We have also republished opinion pieces from the mainstream media by key opponents and supporters of voluntary euthanasia for the terminally ill.


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