Nick Goiran introduces 357 proposed amendments to Western Australia euthanasia bill.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Hon Nick Goiran

Hon Nick Goiran, a Liberal MP and a known opponent of euthanasia, gave notice last night, that he is proposing 357 amendments to the Western Australia euthanasia bill, making it clear that a final vote on the bill will not likely occur this year.

Last August, Goiran, who was a member of the committee that examined euthanasia, wrote a 248 page minority report titled: License to Care not License to Kill opposing the legalization of euthanasia or assisted suicide.

Jacob Kagi reported for ABC news that:

The 64-page list of amendments also includes changes proposed by other MPs, including Labor's Martin Pritchard, One Nation's Colin Tincknell and independent Charles Smith.

Supporters of the Government's bill dismissed the lengthy list of amendments as an obvious attempt to delay a final vote.

"Three hundred and fifty seven amendments from the lead speaker for the Liberal Party is extraordinary," Labor's Upper House leader Sue Ellery said.

Western Australia Parliament

Kagi reports that Goiran rejected the accusation that he is simply filibustering the bill.

Mr Goiran rejected suggestions that he was attempting to filibuster the debate.

"Nothing could be further from the truth," he said.

"The simple amendments that are being put forward is to lift the standard of the Western Australian legislation to that of Victoria and Northern Territory. At the moment it's the most dangerous in the nation.

"Clearly the Premier has not read the amendments on the notice paper because had he done so he would understand that a significant number of them are simply the amendments that were proposed in the Lower House."

The Canadian experience with euthanasia should concern the Western Australian parliament. The number of euthanasia deaths have increased quickly and recently a Québec court expanded the law by striking down the requirement that a person must be terminally ill.

In August, we learned that Sean Taggert died by euthanasia in British Columbia after the government refused to provide him the necessary home care for him to live with ALS.
In September we reported on the euthanasia death of a man who was not physically ill but living with chronic depression. Alan Nichols death proves that the data does not accurately state why people die by euthanasia.