The Wire

A majority of Australians support voluntary euthanasia, according to a Newspoll survey commissioned by pro-euthanasia lobby group Dying with Dignity. It found 85 per cent of Australians agree that doctors should be allowed to administer lethal medication to terminally ill patients who request it. Opponents fear that if euthanasia was decriminalised, vulnerable patients might be pressured into ending their lives. But Dying with Dignity says the poll gives State and Territory governments a strong mandate to make voluntary euthanasia legal.