Rights of the Terminally Ill Act 1995

The Rights of the Terminally Ill Act 1995 (NT) was a controversial law legalising euthanasia passed by Australia's Northern Territory in 1995, and nullified in 1997 by the federal Parliament.

Passed by the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly on May 25, 1995 under the stewardship of Marshall Perron, and entering into law on July 1, 1996, the Act allowed terminally ill patients to commit medically assisted suicide, either by the direct involvement of a physician or by procurement of drugs. It required a somewhat lengthy application process, designed to ensure that the patients were both mentally competent to make the decision and in fact terminally ill.

The passage of the bill—one of the first of its kind in the world—provoked a furore in Australia, and indeed in much of the rest of the world. The Act received both widespread support from "death with dignity" groups who saw it as model to be followed elsewhere, and widespread condemnation from euthanasia opponents who sought to overturn it.

The Northern Territory proved to be unwavering in its support for the proposal, and its repeal did not appear to be in sight. Support in the rest of Australia was much weaker, however, and opponents began turning to the federal Parliament, demanding it nullify the law (which it could do since the Northern Territory was a territory rather than state). On March 25, 1997, the federal Parliament passed the Euthanasia Laws Act 1996, amending the Northern Territory's Charter such that the NT Legislative Assembly no longer has the power to pass laws that purport to legalise euthanasia. This left open the possibility of the Legislative Assembly making laws regarding withholding life support, but, as of 2008, it has not done so.

While the law was in effect, four people committed suicide through its provisions. The first was Bob Dent, who died on 22 September 1996. An additional two had received approval to do so when the law was nullified; a proposed amendment to the Voluntary Euthanasia Laws Bill allowing them to proceed did not pass.

External links

* [http://www.nt.gov.au/lant/parliament/committees/rotti/parldebate.shtml Northern Territory site on the Act] - Contains links to parliamentary debates surrounding the Act as well as full texts of the Act and its nullification.