Euthanasia a medical matter, not a police issue – The Sydney Morning Herald

Last year a good friend of mine had a terminal illness and was rapidly deteriorating in capacity ("Councillor's plea to MPs" Don't rob my dad of choice", May 29). An elderly and well-educated woman, she foresaw a horrid and incapacitated future for herself, and a huge burden on her family. She chose to attempt suicide in a place remote from her home so as not to implicate her family.

The outcome was that she died later in hospital with a large amount of police time expended on her "case". This raises a number of issues: she did not have access to a suitable method of suicide, she was deprived in her last waking hours of the comfort of her family and a lot of expensive police time was wasted.

This is all because our NSW Parliament is dominated by people who claim that euthanasia is a matter of conscience. No, it is a matter of religious indoctrination. If our MPs actually had consciences they would pass the bill for assisted dying, now before the house. This should be a medical matter not a police one.

Jan Aitkin Balmain

I applaud Linda Scott's public support for a change in the law to support her father's right to a dignified death in a manner and time he chooses instead of ending in chaotic, miserable, meaningless and unnecessary suffering.There are strong arguments in both morality and international law to support her position.

In 2015, the Supreme Court of Canada unanimously held that the rights to life, liberty and security of the person, which are entrenched in the Canadian constitution, require that people with a grievous and irremediable medical condition who are experiencing intolerable suffering should, with stringent safeguards, be able to choose to die with dignity and be given medical assistance to do so.

These rights are not specifically in the Australian constitution, but they are found in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which is viewed as an expression of fundamental values shared by Australia with all other members of the international community. Australia voted in favour of the Universal Declaration at the UN in 1948.

I would urge the lawmakers in NSW to consider the upcoming legislative proposals on assisted dying as reflective of fundamental human rights.

Patricia Loughlan Glebe

Compassion for the situations of Dr Scott and others like him is a compelling argument for his plea to have the option of assisted dying. Not to grant this condemns any of us who may face a similar situation or have witnessed a dreadful death to bear all the associated grief and costs involved. Surely it's a question of having the right to choose a peaceful death rather than one by ordeal.

Vicky Marquis Glebe

Tony Walker writes that Israel's defensive war in 1967 didn't entitle it to permanently occupy the territory captured ("The Six Day War has endured for 50 years", May 29) . In fact, Israel immediately offered to return most of the territory in return for peace, but the Arab League responded with its infamous "three no's" no recognition, no negotiation, no peace. UN Security Council 242 required Israel to withdraw from "territories occupied", not all the territories occupied, in exchange for peace.

When Egypt agreed to peace, Israel withdrew from the entire Sinai, more land than the rest of Israel and the territories combined. Sadly, the Palestinians walked away from what were generally regarded as generous deals in 2000/01 (followed by mass terrorism) and in 2008, and when Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza, it received thousands of rockets for its trouble.

If the Palestinians genuinely accept Israel's right to exist, all other issues, including the settlements (which, as even the Palestinians admit, take up less than two per cent of the West Bank) can be resolved.

Danny Samuels Malvern (Vic)

Tony Walker asserts that Israel trebled the size of its territory after the 1967 war. Nowhere does he mention the not insignificant fact that Israel subsequently returned the Sinai Desert and Gaza Strip which together formed, overwhelmingly, the greatest part of the captured territory, and it did so at its own peril.

Michael Jaku Double Bay

I agree with George Williams that the Referendum Council must settle on a model for Aboriginal recognition that is capable of winning broad support. The secret to success is to keep any referendum question simple ("Uluru statement offers up different set of priorities", May 29). Malcolm Turnbull's republic referendum failed because it should have asked one simple question: Do you support a new law for an Australian republic, yes or no? Turnbull has learnt his lesson. As Prime Minister, he suggested one simple question for the proposed same-sex marriage plebiscite: Do you support a new law for same-sex marriage, yes or no? Now that the Uluru statement has charted a different course to the one previously identified in the recognition discussions, why not proceed with a referendum question that has the best chance of success: Do you support a new law for an agreement with Australia's Indigenous people, yes or no?

Peter Breen Byron Bay

Phil Johnson (Letters, May 29) is mistaken. Many countries have a treaty with indigenous people. As George Williams stated in his 2013 article, the United States of America, Canada and New Zealand have such treaties ("Treaty long overdue," November 12, 2013). Australia is the only Commonwealth nation that does not have a treaty with its Indigenous peoples. It is about time the current situation was changed. However, the typical weak-kneed response by the Prime Minister to the Uluru conference proposal for a treaty makes its adoption unlikely in the near future.

Brian Neligan Canada Bay

Neither the government nor the opposition has so far proposed that which the Keep NSW Safe Alliance seeks, namely, a criminal law that targets intentional and reckless promotion of violence against minorities ("'We are all at risk': community leader in push to amend race hate laws", May 29). The new law would not restrict robust public debate. It is focused on threats of violence, something that our society abhors. No one should be free to promote violence against people on the basis of their race or religion or sexual identity.

David Knoll Coogee

Why is it that any mention of tightening up race hate laws always ends up with those least likely to be victims of racism trotting out that old furphy of our "freedom of speech" being threatened?

Con Vaitsas Ashbury

Liberal MP Damien Tudehope thinks that cracking down on hate speech is an attack on free speech. I wonder if he thinks that shouting "Fire!" in a crowded cinema is free speech?

Dave Horsfall North Gosford

At UNSW we are investing in enhancing teaching and the student experience, overhauling our promotion guidelines to ensure that we promote more academics on the basis of their teaching. Gittins is behind the times if he is unaware that teaching and student satisfaction is increasingly measurable and academics are accordingly devoting more of their efforts to ensuring they deliver excellent teaching.

There is a world of innovation, invention and discovery out there. Harvard, Oxford and Cambridge are at the top because they make huge contributions. Australia's top universities are not far behind. We should applaud the fact that Australia is a player on the world stage and consider how and whether we want to make our country stronger.

I ask Gittins to do the thought experiment. Does cutting investment in knowledge make us better or worse?

Professor Merlin Crossley deputy vice-chancellor education, University of New South Wales, Sydney

The reason why Alan Joyce is praised and Margaret Court "pilloried" for their respective views on same-sex marriage, Ken Farrington (Letters, May 29), could be that Joyce is promoting equality while Court is promoting continued discrimination, and perhaps the large majority in favour of change appreciate the difference. Similarly, I suggest to Ivor Davies (Letters, May 29) that speaking out against same-sex marriage is, contrary to his assertion, homophobic, and is clearly making a discriminatory statement against homosexuals.

Alynn Pratt Killara

My father fled 1950s communist Hungary after he was branded a "reactionary". The brand "reactionary" along with "enemy of the people" was the regime's favourite tool for condemning someone who spoke their mind without fear. It's interesting that proponents of same-sex marriage (Letters, May 29) resort to the language of totalitarian regimes when trying to suppress opposing views. I hope Margaret Court won't have to flee intolerance in this country.

Andras Hidas Arcadia

The claim the Sydenham to Bankstown rail privatisation project will "upgrade 11 stations along the 13.5km rail line" needs to be rebutted on two counts ("Battle brews over 'unsafe' $20b train station plan", May 29). First, existing stations will need to be significantly modified. This will not be an upgrading but heritage destruction.

Second, a number of these stations, such as Marrickville, Sydenham and Belmore, have recently been upgraded. Great attention was paid to the heritage of these stations. The destructive requirements of the proposed Metro will undo much of this work.

The Sydenham to Bankstown line is a functional part of Sydney's rail network. Cannibalising and privatising it is a missed opportunity to provide rail services elsewhere.

Peter Olive Marrickville

While every death caused by a preventable fall in a nursing home is an individual tragedy we must also take care not to kill our elders with kindness, by wrapping them in cotton wool ("Residents fall victim to preventable deaths", May 29).

We watched our already frail but still active father lose physical strength, and interest in life, as he sat in his chair, gently persuaded against any effort to stand or walk unassisted. The staff in the nursing home were wonderful they would do anything for him except let him do things for himself.

Bureaucracy run rampant is largely at fault here. Every fall in a nursing home requires reams of paperwork to be completed as well as the possibility of fielding complaints from grieving families.

No wonder managers and staff are cautious in the face of this intractable dilemma. Allowing residents to remain active means risk of falls but confining them to a life wrapped in cotton wool is also deadly. We need to develop strategies to manage these conflicting issues of care.

Without challenge and activity, life becomes a living death.

Jennifer Killen St Peters

Is the coverage of the Schapelle Corby "story" absurdly over the top (Letters, May 29)? That question can easily be answered by pondering whether the coverage would be the same had the protagonist been a young Indigenous man from the far west, or a tough-as-nails, obese 60-year-old grandmother.Martyn Yeomans Turramurra

Corby was convicted on May 27, 2005 with importing to Indonesia 4.2 kilograms of marijuana. This is now reported as either 4.1kg or 4kg. What happened to the rest? I suspect the media smoked it. John Simpson Tapitallee

There is no letter published in the Herald on this year's Sydney Writers' Festival. Is it because the letter writers who attended are now busy beavering away at their hoped-for publishing success? Everyone thinks they've got a book inside them. Reality is, writing is an art. A good writer can flog a dead horse to make it pull a load; a bad one overloads. Hendry Wan Alexandria

Taronga Zoo's baby elephant is all wobbly legs and tentative early missteps, its big feet ending up in unintended places much to the concern of its minders ("Extra large delivery for Taronga Zoo", May 29). Can I suggest Taronga name the new arrival Donald Trumpet?

Stephen Driscoll Castle Hill

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Euthanasia a medical matter, not a police issue - The Sydney Morning Herald