Do Not Resuscitate (ATOM Study Guide)

This two-part documentary, Do Not Resuscitate (Davor Dirlic, 2006), is about people's right to choose the time and manner of their death. It explores the issue of euthanasia through following three people as they investigate their options to maintain control over their lives and the manner and time of their death.

We follow three very different people, Steve, Mary and Judy whose lives are driven by suffering over eighteen months. They want the right to choose how and when they die. In Australia assisting them to die is illegal and carries a fourteen-year jail sentence, despite the fact that seventythree per cent of Australians support euthanasia. But the prospect of dying a long and painful death drives them to go to extraordinary lengths to get access to the means to choose their own kind of death. The result is a profound exploration of how they and their loved ones deal with the stark reality of their impending death and the obstacles they face. As Steve, Mary and Judy challenge the status quo, the laws governing euthanasia in Australia are put to the test.