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Healthy nurse ends own life
A retired woman with no major health problems ended her life last month. Gill Pharaoh, a retired palliative care nurse, chose to end her own life at a Swiss clinic leaving behind a husband and a daughter. Pharaoh said “I have always said, ‘I am not getting old. I do not think old age is fun.’” [Yahoo, 6 August] Dr Peter Saunders, campaign director of Care Not Killing (CNK) said: “I think that when we start to promote suicide as a solution for life’s problems, we’re on a very, very dangerous, slippery slope indeed.” [Christian Institute, 11 August]
Australia: governing coalition confirms opposition to same-sex marriage
Australia’s governing coalition has voted to confirm its opposition to same-sex marriage. Tony Abbott, Australia's prime minister, said the issue should be “put to the people” following the next election. [BBC, 11 August] Dr John Fleming, a leading Australian bioethicist, said: “The Prime Minister is laudably keeping his pre-election promise that his government would not legislate for gay marriage. The Labor Party will close off the 'conscience vote' for its MPs in the election after next. The Prime Minister very democratically wants the people to decide the fundamental issue of what marriage means, while proponents of same sex marriage seem to think that the people can't be trusted to deliver the 'right' answer.”
Other stories:
Abortion
Euthanasia
- Police stop euthanasia campaigner using potentially lethal gas in comedy show at Edinburgh Fringe [Guardian, 6 August]
Family issues
Sexual ethics
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