By Hilary White
MELBOURNE, September 11, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – While the Parliament of Victoria, Australia are debating whether to decriminalise abortion, a bill that proposed to make passive euthanasia legal has been defeated by a wide margin.
The Physician Assisted Dying Bill proposed to protect doctors from prosecution who had helped kill their terminally ill patients.
MPs had a conscience vote on the legislation, which was defeated 25 votes to 13. The bill, which had been co-sponsored by Green and Liberal MPs, will now return to a committee for further consideration.
The Australian Christian Lobby welcomed the defeat of the bill as a “victory for those who value life.”
“The Victorian upper house politicians who voted against this bill should be proud of the role they have played in safeguarding our state from the travesty of turning doctors from carers into killers,” group director Rob Ward said.
Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Australian State and Territorial Governments to Introduce Euthanasia Bills this Year
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/feb/08022105.html