LOCALS undecided about a voluntary euthanasia Bill expected to hit State Parliament next month have been urged to attend an information session in the Riverland this weekend.
Guest speakers at the Berri Hotel event will include Riverland woman and VAD (Voluntary Assisted Dying) advocate Jan Kemble, however organisers stress the meeting will be interactive and open for discussion
“I am an advocate for, and support this Bill, having witnessed the passing of both of my parents, my mother-in-law and recently two close and very dear associates,” Mrs Kemble says in a letter to the editor in today’s Murray Pioneer.
“They all suffered prolonged, agonising and degrading deaths, against their wishes, despite best efforts to give them comfort.”
Mrs Kemble has started a petition in support of the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2020, introduced by Labor in State Parliament in December and is seeking signatures in front of Waikerie Woolworths today, and again at Saturday’s session.
She said the petition would target Member for Chaffey, Tim Whetstone, who made headlines in 2016 over his decision to vote against a voluntary euthanasia bill that was defeated 24-23.
Mr Whetstone has been invited to Saturday’s session and the event’s Aldgate-based organiser Angie Miller said Riverlanders unsure about their views on the issue should attend.
“We invite people who are maybe sitting on the fence on this issue to come along,” she said.
“It’ll be opened up to questions, so if people have any doubts or anything they want to clear up, hopefully we can do that at this meeting.
“It’s quite an interactive meeting. We’re not just talking to people, it’s opened up to discussion.”
Ms Miller said her campaign motivation was driven by personal experience.
“I’ve always been a supporter of VAD, however up until seeing what happened with my dad I’d never come face to face with it,” she said.
“I thought ‘This is absolute craziness that this is allowed to happen’.
“Basically I vowed to advocate when I was watching him suffer.”
Ms Miller is hoping to eclipse attendance figures from last October’s Waikerie event and is looking forward to Riverland people making a difference.
“We had about 25 in Waikerie and we thought it was very successful,” she said.
“We were really impressed with not only the numbers that came to the Waikerie meeting, but also the strength of the voices that attended.
“We’ve had people now write to Tim Whetstone, speak with Tim Whetstone, and share their stories.
“It’s important to have these sessions in the Riverland because the voice of people in the regions matters just as much as those in the metropolitan areas.”
Ms Miller said the campaign aimed to promote three key points:
n Increased funding for palliative care.
n Promotion of advanced care directives.
n Implementation of voluntary assisted dying legislation.
“As we know, five to 10 per cent of palliative care patients’ suffering cannot be alleviated,” she said.
“This can be fact checked on the Go Gentle website.”
Other guest speakers at Saturday’s event include author and cancer sufferer Kym Watson, and Anne Bunning from Voluntary Assisting Dying SA.
Saturday’s session will be held at the Berri Hotel, from 3pm. No bookings are necessary. For further details email Angie Miller (angiejmiller@hotmail.com).