"Australians to make suicide pill " You thinkin what I'm thinkin?

[hangloose]

David Fickling in Sydney
Wednesday November 10, 2004
The Guardian

The controversial Australian euthanasia advocate Philip Nitschke has announced plans for a suicide pill which could be manufactured at home from easily available ingredients.
The proposed "peaceful pill" would consist of a small dose of liquid barbiturates which could be kept until its owner wanted to take his or her life.

A group of 30 people in their 70s will meet at an undisclosed location in rural Australia early next year to manufacture 300 grams of the barbiturate. This will then be divided into 30 10g doses which the individuals will take home with them - perhaps for use at a later date. The participants also plan to publish a handbook to help other groups follow their lead. Barbiturates are no longer sold in Australia but there is no law that prevents their manufacture.

Dr Nitschke has been a controversial figure since he helped four people die after the world's first euthanasia laws were passed in Australia's Northern Territory in 1996.

Those laws were quickly struck down by the federal government, and Dr Nitschke has turned to offering advice and information on euthanasia through his group Exit International. He holds regular workshops around Australia. The move to a suicide pill has been planned for some years, but is being rushed through because of the prospect of legislation which would outlaw much of Exit's work.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/australia/story/0,12070,1347338,00.html

[NJ_Lib]

1. Can you imagine

Chimpy and the gang even entertaining something like this?

Hey, if we chip in, maybe we can get a package-deal discount... ;)

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[NJ_Lib]

7. No... For us, silly... :) n/t

[OldLeftieLawyer]

26. Ohhhhhhhh

Sorry. This doobie got me all ..... I wonder if there are any cookies in the house ...... if there were cookies, I wouldn't have to ........... did I park the car outside or did I .......... why is the dog looking at me like that .......... I smell pizza ......... where did all these birds come from ............ did we have pizza for dinner ......... if there's a box of Good and Plenty in the house, I'd really like that, but I can't get up and get it because the remote control is in my hand and I'm not sure where I should ............ dog say something ........... no ............. if I mash all those bananas together and throw them in the blender with cream and lots of sugar and then stand inside the refrigerator door while I eat it that would be just like ice cream ............. I wonder if there's any ice cream in the house ............... did the dog eat the ice cream .......... get those damn birds out of here before I start .......... oh, that was funny........... did you get the cookies ..........

[NVMojo]

34. cookays!!!!

[Liberal Veteran]

2. I wouldn't mind getting one of those.....

...not that I am feeling particularly suicidal right now, but having HIV disease, it would be nice to have the option.

[happynewyear]

4. I know what you mean

hope you are doing alright btw ...

Not a whole lot of hope here either.

[Liberal Veteran]

6. Well, so far I have survived 19 years without an opportunistic infection..

...but you never know what could happen.

[JoshWatermanMN]

9. Have HIV myself

And I have been suicidal before, but with a lot of hard work, I am coping quite well.

Frankly, I am hanging on for as long as I can, if nothing else than to serve as a thorn in the side to all the asshole freepers :):evilgrin:

[FuzzySlippers]

13. Hi Josh!

:hi: Sorry to hear about your health issues, but I'm glad you're coping with them well.

[JoshWatermanMN]

16. Thanks

I have been lurking for over a year now, but just recently decided to participate. I have been overwhelmed by the sense of fellowship I have encountered on this board--the welcomes are all appreciated.

As far as my health concerns go, I've known I have had HIV since 1998, and have not had a single problem yet. I feel blessed partially with good luck, but also to have decent health insurance. Although I have been employed with good insurance ever since I found out about the HIV, I know the state where I live (MN, of course :)) is very good with people of limited means who are HIV positive--at least they were when I was first diagnosed (since then, we have been hit with a Repug governor and legislature--the system could have been damaged since then).

[FuzzySlippers]

19. I know quite a bit about Minnesota.

I'm your neighbor to the south. We're officially a red state now! Don't you pity us?

[JoshWatermanMN]

20. Nahhh.

We can make it a temporary set back. Here is to a true blue Midwest!

[leQ]

48. and to the south of you, we also have been blessed with good care

i've been diagnosed since 86, tho i knew in 83-84 (when the anvil closed). i was closer to death from the coates house fire in kansas city than at any time from HIV, tho i think that's changing.

whether i could take the pill or not, there are certainly days when i wish i had the opportunity. but it always ends up afterwards thanking God i didnt. it repeats & rinses about every quarter.

about the only real constant in my life is being scared about what bush, given his new 'mandate', will do about things.

[Supormom]

28. Hi Josh from a fellow Minnesotan!

Check out the state forum- we're having a get together this Saturday evening. Care to join us?

[JoshWatermanMN]

44. Hi!

Thanks for the welcome. Where would the meetup be?

[Supormom]

47. Hi Josh

Check out this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=160&topic_id=4222&mesg_id=4222

[physioex]

11. I agree....

I think a person who is terminally ill and is of sound mind or has preiviously made a decision being of sound mind should be allowed to end life to avoid unnecessary suffering.....

[Pithlet]

15. Yes.

I agree wholeheartedly. And loved ones who assist should not be prosecuted.

[hangloose]

12. Well I'm haeding down on friday I'll see what I can dig up, anyone

else interested?

[Delphinus]

39. Yep,

I'm insterested, Hangloose. Bring back the recipe - send it via e-mail if you don't want to post it on the board - or can't. Thanks.

[NVMojo]

35. I'm sorry to hear you have to have such a struggle ...

:hug:

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

5. On The Beach by Nevil Shute.....

Wholesale suicide pills before the fallout moved in.
]

Aussies seem to have a strange preoccupation here.

[rooboy]

10. Yeah, it also happens every now and then...

whenever we lose a cricket match to the bloody English.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

14. Cheers, Rooboy!

You guys need any extra people down there? the sucking sound is getting too loud in this hemisphere.

[rooboy]

29. Man, 30,000 people migrate to my state each year...

I don't know if we can do with any more people in the cities, but I tell you some country towns have been selling blocks of land for ONE DOLLAR (Australian) to get some folks in. Come on over!

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

41. Don't let WalMart know....

Hmmm. Sounds interesting.

[maveric]

21. The first thing that came to me when I read "suicide pill" and "Australia"

Creepy!

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

22. It was a powerful book....

it spawned two hollywood renditions.

[maveric]

24. The Gregory Peck and Anthony Perkins rendition was eerie.

I beleive that it was in B&W too that added to the effect.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

25. Much better than the remake that was a mini-series if I remember

correctly. :toast: The Peck version was especially chilling because it was contempoary at the time of "duck and cover."

[MisterP]

8. 10g? how big is this pill?

[JoshWatermanMN]

17. Well . . .

It is not as though choking on it would be an issue (/ducks)

[illuminaughty]

45. Can you get it in pretzel form?

Sorry

[Mend]

42. I think it is liquid

In Oregon, they use pentathol sodium, a barbituate in liquid form. You open up capsules and pour it into a glass, probably not even half a cup....that is just a guess.

[Triana]

18. Excellent work...

...I am very much for voluntary euthanasia. When one is critically ill this should be a choice - the idiot fundies be damned. We do this for pets and animals when they are ill and needlessly suffering and can't be helped. Humans deserve no less. And with NO health insurance for many of these people - once they get old and sick, this may be their only option. I hope to GOD this is available for me when I get to that point 'cause I know I'm going to need it. There will be no other choice. I shudder to think of the alternative...which would cause excess and needless suffering for me and my family - physically and monetarily.

It's the only way to go, sometimes.

[PrpgndBrdcstingSystm]

23. Other western nations are leaving us behind in rational government

I tried to talk my wife into moving to Australia. No luck.

[Deja Q]

27. After peak oil becomes a reality, this might be the most compassionate act

:-(

[Zorra]

30. Hmmmm...are there any Rommel's in the Pentagon? n/t

[ewagner]

31. OMG!!!!

Anybody remeber the book/movie On The Beach and the "happy pills"? In Australia????????????

on edit: missed the earlier post........sorry.

[Endangered Specie]

32. Something wrong with a gun?

[LibLabUK]

40. Err..

Using a gun requires a certain amount of strength and manual dexterity, taking a pill requires only that you are capable of swallowing.

Also, shooting oneself isn't exactly the kindest thing you can do for your survivors... it tends to be quite distressing for the ones who have to clean up afterwards.

[NVMojo]

33. Soylent Green is People!!!!

[RyomaSakamoto]

36. They'll charge us for them

unlike the nazis... the original 'compassionate' conservatives, they only get worse :scared:

[slowroll]

37. We'll never be allowed to buy them

Bushco's FDA will make us wait until Phizer comes out with its own version which takes 50 $97.00 doses before it's effective.

[Nihil]

38. They'll probably just ...

... relabel 10% of their existing products!

:evilgrin:

[donkeyotay]

46. LOL. Yep, they don't want us to kill ourselves unless they can profit

If they hate us so much, why should they care?

[Sven77]

43. I know what your thinking, why didnt I take the Blue Pill

I know what your thinking, why didnt I take the Blue Pill.

shouldnt they make this into cool-aide ?