Dying With Dignity Victoria (DWDV) will hold the annual Steve Guest Day Rally on the steps of Parliament House Victoria on Wednesday, April 16th at 1-2 p.m.

The rally is in support of the Private Members Bill now being introduced into the Parliam粑Dying With Dignity Victoria (DWDV) will hold the annual Steve Guest Day Rally on the steps of Parliament House Victoria on Wednesday, April 16th at 1-2 p.m.

The rally is in support of the Private Members Bill now being introduced into the Parliament of Victoria to enact the right to die with dignity: The Medical Treatment (Physician Assisted Dying) Bill 2008.

The introduction of the Bill follows from this rally last year that drew hundreds of supporters demanding law form to enable the right to choose to die with dignity when suffering a terminal or incurable illness with intolerable suffering. More...

Independent research shows that over 80% of Victorians believe in this right and support for it has been in a clear majority for forty years. Legislation lags significantly behind the will of the people and the rally theme sends a clear message to the Parliament: “Let’s Get on With it”.
Speakers at the rally include:

• Co-sponsors of the Bill, Ken Smith (Liberal) and Colleen Hartland (Greens).
• Prof. David Kelly, former Chairman, Victorian Law Reform Commission.
• Lisa Fitzpatrick, Australian Nursing Federation (Victorian State Secretary)
• Marshall Perron, (former Chief Minister of the Northern Territory) who introduced the Rights of the Terminally Ill Act into the NT in 2006.

About Steve Guest:
The rally name commemorates the third anniversary of the death of this journalist and former media advisor to the Cain Government who ended his own life after publicly airing his intense suffering (from cancer of the oesophagus) on the 774 ABC Jon Faine programme. On air, he railed against those who would deny him the right to die his way and condemned those who preferred to see him die an agonisingly slow and painful death. He ended his life using Nembutal, a powerful but banned barbiturate drug. Dr Rodney Syme, Vice President of DWDV said that he provided Steve Guest with medication and has urged the Victorian Parliament to get on with enacting legislation to enable doctors to respond to the requests of people like Steve Guest.

More information is available at www.dwdv.org.au or by phoning (03) 9877 7677.