Elderly Aussies cooking up suicide drugs
May 08 2007 at 12:09PM
Sydney - Groups of elderly Australians are reportedly setting up backyard laboratories to manufacture an illegal euthanasia drug so they can kill themselves when they have had enough of life.
One group has already succeeded in producing the drug nembutal, which is used by vets to put down animals, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported on Monday night.
At least four other backyard factories were planned for major cities across the country, with a total of about 800 elderly people prepared to become involved in producing the drug.
Dozens of older Australians were also engaged in illegally importing nembutal from the Mexican border town of Tijuana, close to the US city of San Diego, according to the report.
'It's not illegal to end your life'
Illegal possession of the prohibited drug carries a maximum penalty of two years in jail.
One of the illegal manufacturers, Bron Norman, said the drug should be available for those who wish to commit suicide when they have outlived their useful life.
"It's outrageous that we've been forced into this position because we can't legally obtain a drug that will give us a peaceful death when we want one," she told the ABC.
"It's not illegal to end your life. Why is it illegal to have the drug that will do it?"
A clandestine nembutal lab had been established by a group of about 20 ageing people in the southern highlands south of Sydney by Norman and others, who chipped in Aus$2 000 (about R11 500) each to launch the lab, ABC said.
After two years and many failures, the group successfully manufactured the drug.
Philip Nitschke, who founded the pro-voluntary euthanasia group Exit International, said he knew of dozens of elderly Australians who had smuggled nembutal from Mexico.
"We've got a lot of experience now. We had over 100 people last year go across to Mexico and come back with this drug successfully to Australia," he said. "We've had over 20 this year go over."
Australia's Northern Territory was the first jurisdiction in the world to introduce voluntary euthanasia in 1996.
In September that year, 66-year-old cancer sufferer Bob Dent was the first person to make use of the much-disputed laws, but six months later the federal parliament voted to overturn the territory's legislation.
Since then the debate over assisted suicide has been an emotional issue around the world, with Britain's parliament last year blocking a draft law that would give terminally ill people the right to die with medical assistance. - Sapa-AFP
May 08 2007 at 12:09PM
Sydney - Groups of elderly Australians are reportedly setting up backyard laboratories to manufacture an illegal euthanasia drug so they can kill themselves when they have had enough of life.
One group has already succeeded in producing the drug nembutal, which is used by vets to put down animals, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported on Monday night.
At least four other backyard factories were planned for major cities across the country, with a total of about 800 elderly people prepared to become involved in producing the drug.
Dozens of older Australians were also engaged in illegally importing nembutal from the Mexican border town of Tijuana, close to the US city of San Diego, according to the report.
'It's not illegal to end your life'
Illegal possession of the prohibited drug carries a maximum penalty of two years in jail.
One of the illegal manufacturers, Bron Norman, said the drug should be available for those who wish to commit suicide when they have outlived their useful life.
"It's outrageous that we've been forced into this position because we can't legally obtain a drug that will give us a peaceful death when we want one," she told the ABC.
"It's not illegal to end your life. Why is it illegal to have the drug that will do it?"
A clandestine nembutal lab had been established by a group of about 20 ageing people in the southern highlands south of Sydney by Norman and others, who chipped in Aus$2 000 (about R11 500) each to launch the lab, ABC said.
After two years and many failures, the group successfully manufactured the drug.
Philip Nitschke, who founded the pro-voluntary euthanasia group Exit International, said he knew of dozens of elderly Australians who had smuggled nembutal from Mexico.
"We've got a lot of experience now. We had over 100 people last year go across to Mexico and come back with this drug successfully to Australia," he said. "We've had over 20 this year go over."
Australia's Northern Territory was the first jurisdiction in the world to introduce voluntary euthanasia in 1996.
In September that year, 66-year-old cancer sufferer Bob Dent was the first person to make use of the much-disputed laws, but six months later the federal parliament voted to overturn the territory's legislation.
Since then the debate over assisted suicide has been an emotional issue around the world, with Britain's parliament last year blocking a draft law that would give terminally ill people the right to die with medical assistance. - Sapa-AFP