U-turn on mercy killing

A son of the first man to commit legally sanctioned euthanasia is now fighting the law that allowed his father to end his own life.

Rod Dent, 40, supported legalised mercy killing immediately after his father Bob, 66, became the first terminally ill patient to commit suicide, on 22 September, under a Northern Territory law that permits doctor-assisted mercy killing - the first of its kind in the world.

But Mr Dent said he now believes that his father, who was suffering from prostate cancer, would not have killed himself if he had had access to proper palliative care. Australia's Federal Parliament is considering a Bill which, if passed, would override the territory's legislation. AP - Canberra