Australian Greens Leader Vows to Revive Euthanasia Law

Australian Greens leader Bob Brown said Wednesday he would lead a bid to reinstate overturned right-to-die legislation because it was a "civilising" law.

Senator Brown wants to revive the 1996 world-first Northern Territory law, which allowed medically-assisted voluntary euthanasia for the terminally ill.

The national government overturned the legislation after nine months amid bitter debate about its ethical implications.

Brown said he would introduce a private members' bill to parliament next week and had written to new Prime Minister Kevin Rudd seeking a conscience vote on reinstating the law in the Northern Territory.

Euthanasia supporters hope it will pave the way for similar legislation in other parts of the country.

"My concern about the unnecessary suffering of terminally ill people who are denied a choice by politicians comes from my previous professional life as a doctor," Brown told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"And I think it's time that we accepted that this is important civilising legislation."

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Ahead of his November 24 election, Rudd said he personally would vote against euthanasia legislation but it was the position of his centre-left Labor Party to grant members a conscience vote on such issues.

Source-AFP
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