{"id":9436,"date":"2021-09-21T21:05:40","date_gmt":"2021-09-21T12:35:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.exitinternational.net\/?p=9436"},"modified":"2021-10-03T19:19:23","modified_gmt":"2021-10-03T10:49:23","slug":"25-years-ago-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.euthanasia.net\/exit\/25-years-ago-today\/","title":{"rendered":"25 Years Ago Today"},"content":{"rendered":"

25 Years Ago Today Bob Dent received world\u2019s 1st Legal Lethal Voluntary Injection<\/strong><\/p>\n

MEDIA RELEASE – 22 September 2021
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

On Sunday 22\u00a0September 1996, at around 3pm in his home in Darwin, 66-year old Bob Dent (suffering from prostate cancer) pressed the \u2018YES\u2019 button on the Deliverance Euthanasia Machine<\/a> to activate a lethal injection. He died peacefully in the arms of his wife Judy.<\/p>\n

Bob was the first person to use the Northern Territory\u2019s ground-breaking Rights of the Terminally Ill Act<\/a> <\/em>to put an end to his suffering.<\/p>\n

The ROTI Act<\/em><\/a> was the world\u2019s first legislation that allowed a doctor to use a lethal injection to legally end the life of a terminally ill patient.<\/p>\n

Four people would use the ROTI<\/em> law before it was overturned by a conscience vote in Federal parliament the following year.<\/p>\n

As he farewell letter Bob wrote:<\/p>\n

I read with increasing horror newspaper stories of Kevin Andrews\u2019 attempt to overturn the most compassionate piece of legislation in the world.<\/em><\/p>\n

If you disagree with voluntary euthanasia, then don\u2019t use it, but don\u2019t deny me the right to use it if and when I want to.<\/em><\/p>\n

The full text of his letter can be found on this site under Exit Remembers<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Speaking from Amsterdam where he is now lives, Exit Director Philip Nitschke has said:<\/p>\n

Bob told me he felt he was lucky to be able to be able to benefit from such compassionate legislation.<\/em><\/p>\n

He was especially grateful to former Territory Chief Minister, Marshall Perron, for having the courage and foresight to guide and draft this law through the NT Assembly.<\/em><\/p>\n

I know that Bob would have been devastated not only by the fact the ROTI law lasted such a short period of time but that 25 years on, the Territory is still lawless when it comes to voluntary euthanasia.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"25<\/a><\/p>\n

In the intervening 25 years, the right to die issue has progressed rapidly in other countries with Australia playing catch-up in only now passed right to die laws.<\/p>\n

In the Netherlands, which is home to a mature and nuanced public debate on end of life choice, the cutting-edge issue is the right for all rational adults to ask for help to die.<\/p>\n

The Dutch are looking at expanding the law beyond those who are seriously ill or suffering to everyone over the age of 70 years, regardless of reason.<\/p>\n

It is a national embarrassment that the Territories of Australia still can\u2019t pass end of life laws.<\/p>\n

The Kevin Andrews Act (Euthanasia Laws Act<\/em>) was an abuse of Federal legislative powers.<\/p>\n

The Australian Constitution<\/em><\/a> (section 122) should never have been used for such a dastardly, backward-looking act as overturning the Rights of the Terminally Ill Act<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u2018The irony of this situation would not have escaped Bob Dent and the three others who died with dignity in Darwin\u2019, said Nitschke.<\/p>\n

END_______\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 22 September 2021<\/p>\n

Contact: Dr Philip Nitschke\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +31 6309 66992\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 or\u00a0\u00a0 +61 407 189 339
\nEmail:\u00a0exit@euthanasia.net<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Web:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0www.exitinternational.net\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Read the Sydney Morning Herald<\/strong><\/a> story on the death of Bob Dent, published 27 September 1996<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

25 Years Ago Today Bob Dent received world\u2019s 1st Legal Lethal Voluntary Injection MEDIA RELEASE – 22 September 2021 On Sunday 22\u00a0September 1996, at around 3pm in his home in Darwin, 66-year old Bob Dent (suffering from prostate cancer) pressed the \u2018YES\u2019 button on the Deliverance Euthanasia Machine to activate a lethal injection. He died […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9443,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[1,7],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n