E44 Dr Philip Nitschke: Euthanasia

For episode #44 I was joined by Dr Philip Nitschke of Exit International. In 1996, Nitschke became the first doctor to administer a legal, voluntary, lethal injection to a terminally ill patient. For the short period that euthanasia was legal in Australia Nitschke oversaw 4 voluntary suicides.

Philip recently ran a show at Edinburgh called Dicing with Dr Death that attracted a lot of media attention. Philip made for a thought provoking and informative guest and his argument that euthanasia should be available to those that want it is difficult to counter.

Our episode covered the following topics;

1. The difference between euthanasia and suicide.
2. The short-lived availability of euthanasia in Australia.
3. The personal impact of helping people die.
4. What countries/regions allow euthanasia.
5. The goal of Exit International.
6. The online and real world harassment of Exit’s volunteers.
7. The mechanics of taking your own life.
8. The Peaceful Pill.
9. The future of euthanasia legislation.

Enjoy the episode. Dave

For full episode notes please visit inspireland podcast.