 Dr Nitschke believes people have the right to a "peaceful death" |
A euthanasia workshop due to have taken place in a council-owned building in Dorset has been cancelled after being branded as "inappropriate". Euthanasia advocate Dr Philip Nitschke was due at the Bournemouth Adult Centre on 16 October. But organisers have been forced to find a new venue when the council looked more closely into what Dr Nitschke had planned. The council blamed an administrative error over the details of the booking. Jane Portman, executive director of children and families services, said: "On this occasion the application for the event was made through an administrative error based on incomplete information at the time of booking.  |  In the meetings I explain why it makes sense to develop an end of life strategy |
"This event is not appropriate for a Bournemouth Borough Council venue and was cancelled as soon as it was brought to our attention." Dr Nitschke, 61, told BBC News Online he was "disappointed" after being given the go-ahead for the booking about a week ago. He said: "They suddenly decided we could not have our planned arranged venue. I am disappointed with them." The workshop, the first of its type to be held in the UK, advises people on how to die peacefully by staying within the law, Dr Nitschke added. "In the meetings I explain why it makes sense to develop an end of life strategy. "We have another venue lined up and I have no doubt the workshop will still go ahead." Dr Nitschke was the first doctor in the world to administer lethal injections to end four patients' lives after voluntary euthanasia was made legal in the Northern Territory of Australia in 1996. The Australian federal government overturned the law nine months later.
| 
BBC NEWS CHANNEL 
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
BBC News
Bookmark with:
What are these?