X-Message-Number: 6984
Date: Thu, 26 Sep 1996 07:00:23 -0700
From: David Brandt-Erichsen <>
Subject: Australia law

The following chronology of events appeared in The Age, Melbourne:

March 1996: Patient contacts Dr Philip Nitschke, suffering terminal prostate
cancer.

1 July: Rights of the Terminally Ill Act 1995 becomes operational; Supreme
Court challenge to the Act's validity begins.

2 August: Max Bell, NSW cancer sufferer dies, having failed to find the
specialist and psychiatrist to see him as required under the legislation.


30 August: Patient signs request form, along with Dr Nitschke and NT specialist.

8 September: Five NT psychiatrists have refused to see patient. Sydney
psychiatrist Dr John Ellard signs form in Darwin stating that the patient is
not suffering a treatable clinical depression.

9 September: Victorian backbencher Kevin Andrews introduces bill to overturn
the Territory's law.

22 September: Patient dies using computer-administered drugs.


Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=6984