New Zealand

Davison urges focus on law change

08:54 am on 27 April 2012

A man convicted of assisting the suicide of his dying mother has called for people to shift their focus from him to changing the laws he was tried under.

Professor Sean Davison was sentenced last November to five months home detention in Dunedin.

Labour MP Maryan Street is working on a member's bill to give legal force to terminally ill people's wish to die and to protect doctors and family members who make it happen.

In his first speech since being released, Professor Davison told an Otago University forum on Thursday night that he supported the bill.

He said that a civilised society must give a terminally ill person the right to die with dignity.