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Dr Trevor Mudge, AMA Vice President, ABC 2BL

NEWSREADER: The Australian Medical Association says it's extremely concerned by a proposal by the country's leading euthanasia advocate, Dr Philip Nitschke, for a suicide pill to be made available to young people suffering from depression.

REPORTER: The AMA says it's become accustomed to Dr Nitschke putting forward controversial pro euthanasia suggestions, such as the proposal for a so called "ship of death" to be anchored in international waters off Australia.

But AMA Vice-President, Dr Trevor Mudge, says this latest initiative is more dangerous than most.

TREVOR MUDGE: We do need to, as a society, to be careful about this one and certainly the medical profession would be very concerned about increasing access to the means of suicide.

NEWSREADER: Dr Nitschke however is standing by his suggestion which first came to light in an American magazine. He says if a young person is old enough to vote and go to war, they're old enough to take their own life.

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