RR Phantom
Location : Wasted Space
Job/hobbies : Cayman Islands Actuary
 |  Subject: OZschwitz: Young people gain access to euthanasia drug  Mon Feb 15, 2010 1:24 am | |
| Australians in their 20s and 30s are killing themselves with the drug that euthanasia advocate, Dr Philip Nitschke, has promoted as the ''peaceful pill''.
The Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine has found that 51 people in Australia have died from an overdose of Nembutal in the past 10 years.
While the lethal barbiturate is only available for veterinarians to euthanise animals in Australia, Dr Nitschke has been helping people obtain it from Mexican vets and other overseas sources since the late 1990s.
The institute said in a report the figure did not represent all deaths caused by the drug, but rather those it could search for on its national database, which has limitations.
But the report provides the first insight into who is using the drug and where they got it from.
While Dr Nitschke has maintained that his organisation, Exit International, tries to restrict its advice to elderly people and those with terminal illnesses or chronic pain over 50, the report revealed six people in their 20s and eight in their 30s had died from an overdose of the drug.
Another five people in their 40s had died from the drug's toxicity: 14 in their 50s, three in their 60s, 10 in their 70s, three in their 80s, and two in their 90s.
In 11 out of 38 cases closed by coroners, the deceased had suffered significant physical illness, deteriorating health or chronic pain. In 27 cases there was no reference to these factors, prompting some to speculate these people had committed suicide because of psychological or psychiatric reasons.
Of the 38 deaths closed by coroners, 34 were listed as ''intentional self harm'' and one considered ''unintentional''.
In 10 cases, euthanasia material was found at the scene of the death, or it was discovered that the deceased had made contact with euthanasia organisations. Coroners found that eight people had obtained the drug from overseas..
In 15 cases, the person worked for a veterinary clinic.
Australians have been able to pay Exit International for guidelines on how to obtain Nembutal since 2000. People can also download Exit's instructions from The Peaceful Pill Handbook, which has been published online in the US since the drug was banned in Australia in 2007.
In Australia it is illegal to use a telephone, fax, email or the internet to discuss or research assisted suicide. Downloading the handbook carries a maximum $110,000 fine, but no Australian has been charged.
Importing Nembutal is also an offence. The maximum penalty is 25 years' jail or a $550,000 fine.
Dr Nitschke said he was not surprised by the figures, as ''dozens'' of Australians had either bought the drug from veterinary clinics overseas or ordered it online. He said Exit had seen increasing numbers of people simply ''tired of life''.
While young people and those with mental illnesses could access Exit's instructions, he said, that risk had to be weighed against the benefits for many others. ''There will be some casualties - but this has to be balanced with the growing pool of older people who feel immense wellbeing from having access to this information,'' he said.
Dawn O'Neil, head of Lifeline, said the report confirmed concerns that Exit's dissemination of such information was irresponsible and had probably made its way into the wrong hands.
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