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This is a real hoot.  Apparently OZ PM Julia Gillard has stated that she doesn’t see a way to create a euthanasia legalization system with safeguards that really protect.  A Belgian professor—Down Under for a convention of the World Federation of Right to Die Societies—claims that she should look to Belgium to learn how it is done.  From the story:

A PIONEER of Belgium’s voluntary euthanasia law has rebuffed Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s statement that it could be ”almost impossible” to find appropriate safeguards for such a law in Australia. Professor Jan Bernheim, a cancer specialist who was instrumental in creating Belgium’s voluntary euthanasia law in 2002, said Australia could learn a lot from his country about how to create a safe system. Last week, Ms Gillard said she found it difficult to conceive how there could be appropriate safeguards for such a law, but Professor Bernheim said Belgium’s safeguards had worked very well for the past eight years. ”Ms Gillard obviously hasn’t looked at the data,” Professor Bernheim said. ”I think Belgium has a system that is well worth considering.”

Belgium???? Abuses abound!  Consider these stories covered by SHS and elsewhere:

I would say that Professor Bernheim is the one who hasn’t actually looked at the facts. PM Gillard is absolutely correct.  Guidelines do not—and cannot-protect against abuse.


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