Former federal MP enters euthanasia debate with a new book – The Kill Bill
Is euthanasia an ethical or emotional question?
Do we support life or convenience?
20 September 2021
Was Paul Keating right when he said that legislating assisted dying laws was wrong – that the sick, the elderly, the disabled, the chronically ill, and the dying must never be made to feel they are a burden?
Was Senator Dodson right, suggesting euthanasia laws pave the way for First Nation people to be even more vulnerable? Or, was Noel Pearson right, when he said assisted dying laws are a question of emotion, that there is something deeper involved on the ethics of life and death regardless of culture and history?
Into the current debate steps former federal MP Richard Evans with the release of his fourth Australian political thriller – The Kill Bill.
In The Kill Bill, we meet the nation’s chief law maker. His daughter is fighting for her life in intensive care, a victim of a terrible crime. Will he ignore the prime minister’s demands and his own laws to save her? Or will politics and the Catholic Church prevent him from doing his job?
It is a story with a fascinating concept at its heart, with characters that come to life as they fight for the nationalisation of euthanasia laws. The female prime minister tries to block the legislation and the church influence whilst fighting off leadership challengers until she makes a decision which changes everything.
As a federal member of parliament, Evans voted against the Northern Territory’s laws in 1996.
‘I voted against the laws after listening to my community highlighting the potential for purposely misusing the laws against the vulnerable,’ Evans said. ’25 years later, I remain unconvinced about euthanasia laws and their ability to effectively reflect the ethical questions. To me, it seems there remains an unresolved subplot of selfish convenience by the living influencing legislation.
‘We should be having a national conversation about the implications of these laws,’ Evans said. ‘To step away from the personal, the emotional, and consider the burden we place on the vulnerable. It is an ethical conversation about life we should at least think about.’
The Kill Bill examines the influence of the church like any other lobby group in law making and how euthanasia laws could be misused when it suits the people making the decisions.
Evans draws a comparison between the euthanasia debate and state government responses to managing the COVID-19 pandemic.
‘Throughout lockdowns and pandemic restrictions, we’ve seen meek compliance and blatant flaunting of the rules by the community. It raises the question – who is actually paying attention to the ethics of the government decisions and those emotionally responding? Who actually cares about their community, and who are just in it for themselves?’ Evans said.
Evans wrote The Kill Bill to raise the issues of the sanctity of life challenging the reader to reflect on attitudes.
‘Many people support the sanctity of life yet also support abortion and euthanasia; but these same people stand against the use of capital punishment. The point I make is – what’s the difference? Life is life. I try to express that within this story.’ Evans said.
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About the author
Richard Evans served as a federal politician in the national parliament giving his books added authenticity. As an insider, Richard recognises the tribalism, warped egos, and the ruthless lonely life of a politician, writing thrilling character driven stories about this exotic, mysterious world.
Richard lives above a pub, opposite a church with his partner in the small bayside village of Williamstown, overlooking Melbourne, Australia.