Blacks to Die in Fear of NT Law, says Researcher
The Weekend Australian, February 15-16, 1997 By Andrew McGarry
ABORIGINES will die because the Northern Territory euthanasia laws are scaring them away from medical treatment, a Northern Territory researcher claims.
Mr Chips Mackinolty, who was contracted by the Northern Territory Government to coordinate the education program for Aborigines on the euthanasia law, told the Senate Inquiry Into the Andrews Bill he believed the Territory legislation should be overturned.
"I don’t think it should get rolled on the ethics (of euthanasia) ... It should get rolled because It Is going to kill (Aboriginal) people," Mr Mackinolty said.
He also sent in a submission to the inquiry detailing the problems Aboriginal people had with euthanasia.
"I believe the very existence of the (NT) legislation poses an unacceptable risk to the health of Aboriginal Territorians who may delay or refuse to access health care because of fears they have of the legislation," he said In his submission. He estimated opposition to euthanasia in Aboriginal communities is at least 90%. His concern was limited to the Northern Territory, he said. "I personally support my having access to euthanasia - but not In the Northern Territory. It Is arguably the right legislation - but certainly not the right Jurisdiction."
There was widespread acceptance among Aboriginal people that there could be a "time to die", and he had had direct and indirect experience of people going off into the bush, refusing food and going off to die.
"However, virtually all the people we spoke to expressed complete abhorrence at the notion of another person, such as a doctor, actively assisting in such a process, and this was consistently expressed in terms of it ‘being against the law’," he said.