X-Message-Number: 6984 Date: Thu, 26 Sep 1996 07:00:23 -0700 From: David Brandt-Erichsen <> Subject: Australia law The following chronology of events appeared in The Age, Melbourne: March 1996: Patient contacts Dr Philip Nitschke, suffering terminal prostate cancer. 1 July: Rights of the Terminally Ill Act 1995 becomes operational; Supreme Court challenge to the Act's validity begins. 2 August: Max Bell, NSW cancer sufferer dies, having failed to find the specialist and psychiatrist to see him as required under the legislation. 30 August: Patient signs request form, along with Dr Nitschke and NT specialist. 8 September: Five NT psychiatrists have refused to see patient. Sydney psychiatrist Dr John Ellard signs form in Darwin stating that the patient is not suffering a treatable clinical depression. 9 September: Victorian backbencher Kevin Andrews introduces bill to overturn the Territory's law. 22 September: Patient dies using computer-administered drugs. Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=6984