A Fight For the End of Life for Croydon's Ella Sharpe

Croydon's Ella Sharpe, whose husband died from cancer last year, is campaigning for law reform so the terminally ill can die with dignity - Oct. 2 2007.

IT was not so much the inevitable and looming death of her husband that Ella Sharpe feared, but the interlude before it.

The Croydon resident and her three children were twice called into Peter McCallum Cancer Centre to say goodbye to their father and husband Bill, 79, who was at the end of his battle with cancer.

After Mr Sharpe's slow and agonising death in October last year, his 80-year-old wife has started lobbying for law reform to ensure that those suffering terminal or incurable illnesses have the right to choose to die with dignity.

"For the last month I'd go in everyday and just look at him; you couldn't have a conversation or ask him how he was feeling, he was beyond that,'' Mrs Sharpe said.

"It was so upsetting seeing him suffering and not being able to do anything to help.

"We had talked about it before he got really sick and we both agreed that there should definitely be a choice if it gets bad at the end.''

Mrs Sharpe has collected almost 200 signatures, which will be forwarded to the Upper House as part of a wider petition campaign by Blackburn-based Dying With Dignity Victoria.

Her campaign has also caught the attention of documentary filmmaker Anne Rittman, a former Ringwood resident, who is now making a film about euthanasia.

"There are lots of retirement villages in Maroondah so I think it's important to open up the debate, and open the possibility for a freedom of choice,'' Ms Rittman said.

"Right now the issue is clouded by fear and misunderstanding and people are not in the position to make informed choices.''

Group pushes for changes to euthanasia law

DYING With Dignity Victoria is pushing Maroondah's Upper House politicians to support law reform to give the terminally ill the right to choose when to end their suffering.

Victorian president Neil Francis said supporters were circulating petitions that he hoped would top more than 8000 signatures.

Mr Francis said under present laws anyone who practised voluntary euthanasia in Victoria could be charged for murder or manslaughter, and those who assisted could face up to 14 years in jail. But under the proposed Physician Assisted Dying laws, he said, people must be over 18 and be terminally or incurably ill with no realistic prospect of recovery.

"The decision can't be made for them, the person must be mentally competent to make the decision for themselves and ideally be able to request it in writing,'' Mr Francis said. "There is also a cooling-off period, which would be relative to the suffering of each person, and they need to request the assistance again.''

Eastern Metropolitan Region state Labor MP Brian Tee dismissed the need for law reform and said the State Government's Strengthening Palliative Care policy adequately covered the issues.

Brigid O'Connell
Maroondah Leader