Voluntary euthanasia laws in Australia: are we really better off dead?

Murphy, Briony J

doi:10.5694/mja16.01203

Topics

I thank Anaf for her thought-provoking and considered response to my reflection on suicide among nursing home residents and voluntary euthanasia laws.1 I take this opportunity to clarify my position and express my agreement with many, but not all, of her statements.

Monash University, Melbourne, VIC

Correspondence: briony.murphy@monash.edu

Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

1. Murphy BJ. Voluntary euthanasia laws in Australia: are we really better off dead? Med J Aust 2016; 205: 254-255. <MJA full text>
2. Blumer C. Vote Compass: Aussies want it, but euthanasia still a ‘great untouched issue’. ABC News 2016; 26 May. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-25/vote-compass-euthanasia/7441176 (accessed Oct 2016).
3. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Causes of death, Australia, 2015 (Cat. No. 3303.0). http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/3303.0 (accessed Oct 2016).
4. World Health Organization. Preventing suicide: a global imperative. Geneva: WHO, 2014. http://www.who.int/mental_health/suicide-prevention/world_report_2014/en (accessed Oct 2016).
5. Department of Health and Ageing. Living is for everyone: a framework for prevention of suicide in Australia. 2007. http://www.livingisforeveryone.com.au/resources/life-framework (accessed Oct 2016).

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