Euthanasia campaigner Philip Nitschke has dismissed claims by doctors and mental health advocates that he owed a duty of care to a man he helped to commit suicide, despite knowing the man was not terminally ill.
Dr Nitschke has admitted he supported 45-year-old Perth man Nigel Brayley in his decision to end his own life in May.
The Black Dog Institute believes Dr Nitschke had an obligation to recommend psychiatric help to Mr Brayley.
The institute’s Dr Caryl Barnes said it may make a formal complaint to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), which supervises the registration of doctors qualified to practice.
Dr Barnes said that as a psychiatrist, she was “absolutely horrified and appalled” that Dr Nitschke did not recommend counselling.
The AMA’s WA President, Dr Michael Gannon, also said Dr Nitschke did not provide the appropriate duty of care, and said people who supported his cause would abandon it.
Dr Nitschke, who arrives back in Australia from Europe next week, said that was not the case.
Nor was Mr Brayley’s death a medical issue, he said.
“What we are talking about here is not anything to do with medicine,” he told the ABC from Brussels.
“We weren’t practicing medicine. This is about people taking control of their lives.
“We’re not talking about terminally ill people, we’re talking about people’s right to have access to a peaceful death at the time of their choosing.
“I was not his doctor, he was not my patient, he was not a sick man in my estimation, and why should I in any way suggest that he go see a doctor?”
Sales of banned book rose after case made public: Nitschke
Dr Nitschke said sales of his euthanasia e-book had increased and extra bookings had been made for his seminars since Mr Brayley’s case was made public.
“We actually never had such high sales of the book in the eight years that the book has been on sale,” he said.
“It’s a banned book in Australia, but of course it sells online.
“I get back [to Australia] next week and we’re running workshops, and they’re both now totally booked out.”
Dr Nitschke said many doctors were “misguided” about euthanasia.
“This is what we’re seeing all of the time from the medical profession, and they simply can’t get over the idea that sometimes suicide has got nothing to do with depression and nothing to do with medicine,” he said.
“The suggestion of course that I had some duty of care is evidence of how misguided many in the medical profession are about this particular issue.
“I’ve listened to many comments by eminent doctors over the last few days and all of them I think they fall into the same trap.
“They’ve been presented with a situation and they’ve immediately assumed this person is … rather sick and therefore needs to be treated as a patient.”