Philip Nitschke facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Philip Nitschke
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Nitschke in 2016
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| Born | 8 August 1947 Ardrossan, South Australia, Australia
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| Education | University of Adelaide (BSc) Flinders University (PhD), University of Sydney (Sydney Medical School) (M.B.B.S.) |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Known for | Influencing ... debate worldwide The Peaceful Pill Handbook |
| Medical career | |
| Profession | Physician and author |
| Sub-specialties | ... medicine |
| Research | ... and voluntary assisted death |
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Philip Haig Nitschke (born 8 August 1947) is an Australian author, former doctor, and the founder of a group called Exit International. This group supports ..., which is the idea that people with very serious illnesses should have the right to choose to end their lives to stop their suffering.
..... He helped four people end their lives before the Australian government overturned the law. He was the first doctor in the world to legally help a patient who chose to die by using a special machine.
Nitschke says that he and his group are often questioned by authorities because of their work. In 2015, he burned his medical license certificate. He did this to protest against rules from the Medical Board of Australia that he felt were unfair and limited his freedom of speech. The media has sometimes called him "Dr Death."
Contents
Early Life and Education
Philip Nitschke was born in 1947 in Ardrossan, South Australia. His parents, Harold and Gweneth, were school teachers.
Studying Physics
Nitschke first studied physics at the University of Adelaide. In 1972, he earned a PhD in laser physics from Flinders University.
Working with Aboriginal Communities
After his physics studies, Nitschke chose a different path. He traveled to the Northern Territory to work with Aboriginal land rights activist Vincent Lingiari. He joined the Gurindji at Wave Hill. After the land was returned to the Gurindji people by Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, Nitschke became a park ranger.
Becoming a Doctor
Nitschke's career as a ranger ended after he injured his foot. He then decided to study medicine. He had always been interested in health and hoped that studying medicine would help him understand his own health worries better. He graduated from the University of Sydney Medical School in 1989.
Career and Activism
After graduating, Nitschke worked as a doctor in Darwin. ..... Nitschke and a few other doctors disagreed and spoke out in favor of the law.
The Rights of the Terminally Ill Act
The law, called the Rights of the Terminally Ill Act, was passed in 1996. It allowed people with terminal illnesses to choose to end their lives with a doctor's help. Nitschke developed a machine called the Deliverance Machine. It let a patient press a button on a computer to receive a lethal injection. He helped four people use this machine. However, the Australian Parliament canceled this law in 1997.
After the law was overturned, Nitschke started giving advice to people about their end-of-life choices. This led him to create the group Exit International in 1997.
Political Efforts
Nitschke has also been involved in politics. He ran for a seat in the Australian Parliament for the Australian Greens in 1996 but was not elected. In 2007, he ran again for a different seat but was also unsuccessful. He wanted to bring his ideas about end-of-life choices into the political conversation.
Conflict with the Medical Board
In 2014, Nitschke spoke with a 45-year-old man named Nigel Brayley. Brayley was being investigated by police in connection with his wife's death. Nitschke said the man did not want counseling and later took his own life. Nitschke believed the man made a rational choice to avoid a long time in prison.
Because of this case, the Medical Board of Australia (MBA) suspended Nitschke's medical license in July 2014. The board said he was a risk to public safety. Nitschke argued that the man was not his patient and that the board disagreed with his ideas, not his actions as a doctor.
Nitschke appealed the decision. In July 2015, the Northern Territory Supreme Court agreed with Nitschke. The judge said the medical board was wrong to suspend his license. The court found that a doctor's duty to "protect and promote health" does not apply to every single person they talk to, especially someone who is not their patient.
In October 2015, the MBA removed the suspension but gave Nitschke a list of 25 strict rules he had to follow to keep his license. These rules stopped him from giving any advice or information about end-of-life choices. In response, Nitschke burned his medical license and quit being a registered doctor. He said he would continue to use the title "doctor" because he has a PhD and would keep promoting his ideas. In 2015, he and his partner moved to the Netherlands, where the laws are more liberal.
Issues with Authorities
Nitschke says that he and his group are often stopped and questioned by police, especially at airports. Their offices and homes have also been raided.
- United Kingdom: In 2009, he was held for nine hours by immigration officials when he arrived in London to give talks. They were concerned his talks might break British law, but he was eventually allowed to enter.
- Australia: In 2014, police raided Exit International's office in Adelaide. They took Nitschke's phones and computers. The raid happened after a man with terminal bone cancer ended his life. Two years later, police announced no charges would be filed.
- New Zealand: In 2016, New Zealand police set up roadblocks outside an Exit International meeting. They took the names of people who attended and later visited some of them at home. The police action was later found to be illegal.
Censorship Issues
Nitschke has faced censorship of his work on the internet, television, and billboards.
Internet Censorship
In 2009, it was revealed that the Australian government had put the online version of his book, The ... Pill Handbook, on a blacklist. This meant that internet providers could block people in Australia from seeing it. Nitschke said this was an attack on free speech and taught people how to get around the internet filter. In 2018, YouTube also deleted his channel, which had been active for 10 years.
Television and Billboards
In 2010, an advertisement for Exit International was banned from Australian TV. ..... A similar ad was also banned in Canada.
..... After getting legal advice, the billboard company allowed the campaign to go ahead.
Books and Media
Nitschke has written three books and has been featured in several films.
Books
- The ... Pill Handbook (2006): Co-written with his partner Fiona Stewart, this book gives information on end-of-life methods. It is banned or has limited sales in Australia and New Zealand. It is available online and has been translated into several languages.
- Damned If I Do (2013): His autobiography, which tells the story of his life and activism.
Film and Television
- Mademoiselle & the Doctor (2004): A documentary about a healthy 79-year-old woman who sought Nitschke's advice on how to end her life.
- 35 Letters (2014): A documentary about a young Australian woman with bowel cancer who was a member of Exit International.
- Dignified Departure (2009): A TV program about doctor-assisted dying in Hong Kong and China, which Nitschke helped promote.
See also
In Spanish: Philip Nitschke para niños
- Terminal illness
- Right to die
- Jack Kevorkian
