- LETTER TO MRS ANNA BLIGH MP 05/06/08 -

Mrs Anna Bligh MP
Premier of Queensland
Parliament House
Brisbane 4002

Dear Premier

In acknowledging receipt of your letter of reply dated 11th April 2008 Ref- MN=157604 I hereby thank you for the courtesy of your reply and I wish to advise as set-out below.

Having read your reply as compiled on your behalf by Mr Stephen Beckett – Deputy Chief of Staff, I assess it to convey “Our mind is made-up, don’t confuse us with facts”.

In the absence of any reference to the evidence based Oregon report enshrined within my correspondence dated 6th March 2008 re; “Oregon celebrates ten years of assisted dying” which made for persuasive reading, I trust that you read the report in question. This report corroborates what does and what doesn’t work with Physician Assisted Dying – (PAD) which has been welcomed by the majority of Oregon’s citizens in meeting the needs for freedom of choice within their community.

In confronting life’s uncertainties I expect that you are receptively open-minded to my sharing with you a further intrinsic medically researched report extracted from the British Medical Journal dated 19th April 2008 headed “Palliative care and euthanasia should be dovetailed”.

Instead of “we know what’s best for you” type stance, the informed terminally ill who want choice, would ask those concerned to also respect their choice and for that they require the right in law to freely take responsibility for their own death.

Being a person for life and quality of life, I support palliative care as a model of care into which PAD should be integrated and palliative care should not be used as a strategic weapon in social debates against required overdue change.

To engender and stimulate debate for what should be an inalienable civil right for all citizens and in awareness of PAD majority support, I hereby appeal for adherence to the democratic process of good government and thereby encourage favorable reconsideration of your advised position.

Would you please circulate copies of this letter and the following reports amongst your political colleagues and it is in anticipation that I await a reply at your earliest convenience.

Yours truly -- RB

 

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