Euthanasia campaigner Philip Nitschke may consider giving up his medical registration after being forced to agree with a “gun to his head” to stop providing suicide and euthanasia advice.<\/p>\n
The Medical Board of Australia on Monday imposed 25 strict conditions on Dr Nitschke in a mediated settlement that will require he practise only in the Northern Territory and under the indirect supervision of a board-appointed supervisor for two years.<\/p>\n
The conditions also state that he will not provide advice, information or encouragement on suicide or the euthanasia drug Nembutal.<\/p>\n
Dr Nitschke’s wife Fiona Stewart said the conditions amounted to a “gag order” and her husband had little choice but to accept them.<\/p>\n
He’s already spent $250,000 fighting to keep his medical registration and he couldn’t afford to pay for upcoming tribunal hearings that were scheduled for November.<\/p>\n
“He really had a gun to his head,” Dr Stewart told AAP.<\/p>\n
“It’s another example of the medical profession trying to stifle debate on this very important, cutting-edge social issue.<\/p>\n
“The ramifications of this really mean that no Australian doctor can talk about voluntary euthanasia or assisted suicide to any member of the public or any patient.”<\/p>\n
Dr Stewart, a public health sociologist, said she will take over as director of Exit International until members of the organisation have their say on the conditions Dr Nitschke has agreed to.<\/p>\n
If members decide they want him to continue his work with Exit as an unregistered medical doctor, he will consider resigning his registration on his own terms, she said.<\/p>\n
“It’s not the Medical Board of Australia’s decision, based on some spurious, trumped-up charges just because they don’t like his political views,” she said.<\/p>\n
“He’s not about to see 20 years’ work thrown out.<\/p>\n
“If their goal was to try and shut Exit down, they’ve failed miserably.”<\/p>\n
Dr Stewart said 85 per cent of Australians wanted to see reform on euthanasia.<\/p>\n
Dr Nitschke’s medical registration was suspended in 2014, but the decision was overturned by the Northern Territory Supreme Court in July after the suspension was found to be unlawful.<\/p>\n
But the Medical Board referred a further 12 complaints to the NT Medical Tribunal, which were set to be heard in November.<\/p>\n
In a statement, Dr Nitschke said he reached agreement with the Medical Board to resolve what would have been four to six weeks of “costly” tribunal hearings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Euthanasia campaigner Philip Nitschke may consider giving up his medical registration after being forced to agree with a “gun to his head” to stop providing suicide and euthanasia advice. The Medical Board of Australia on Monday imposed 25 strict conditions on Dr Nitschke in a mediated settlement that will require he practise only in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n