Sandra Kanck

Sandra Myrtho Kanck (born 20 April 1950) is a South Australian politician. She was an Australian Democrats member of the South Australian Legislative Council 1993-2008, and at the time of her resignation in November 2008, her party's sole remaining member of any Australian parliament . She was first elected in 1993 and was re-elected for a second eight-year term in 2002.

Sandra was born in Broken Hill, New South Wales with six younger siblings. She considers herself to be an occasional singer, former teacher, social justice campaigner and environmentalist.

On 14 March 2001 Kanck introduced the Dignity in Dying Bill 2001 (SA). She has stated that the bill was drafted in large part by the South Australian Voluntary Euthanasia Society (SAVES), of which she has since been awarded life membership. In May 2006, she controversially advocated the therapeutic use of MDMA (identified in news media as "ecstasy" or "the base ingredient in ecstasy").

In August 2006, Kanck ignored government requests not to discuss suicide methods in a parliamentary speech on legalising voluntary euthanasia.[4] Although suppressed from the parliament's internet record by a narrowly resolved Legislative Council vote, the speech was published elsewhere.

Kanck announced her resignation on 7 November 2008. The party membership selected David Winderlich as her replacement in the Legislative Council.

She stood as one of the Candidates of the South Australian state election, 2010, in the third and unwinnable position in the list of Australian Democrats Candidates for the Legislative Council.

Kanck is the National President of Sustainable Population Australia, a Committee Member of the SA Branch of Sustainable Population Australia, the SA President of Friends of the ABC, a Patron of the Broken Hill Community Foundation, SA spokesperson for Families and Friends of Drug Law Reform, a member of the executive of the SA Council for Civil Liberties, and State President of the Democrats in South Australia.

BIO II

Sandra Kanck was an Australian Democrats member of the South Australian Legislative Council 1993-2008, and at the time of her resignation in November 2008, her party's sole remaining member of any Australian parliament. She was first elected in 1993 and was re-elected for a second eight-year term in 2002. Sandra was born in Broken Hill, New South Wales with six younger siblings. She considers herself to be an occasional singer, former teacher, social justice campaigner and environmentalist. On 14 March 2001 Kanck introduced the Dignity in Dying Bill 2001 (SA). She has stated that the South Australian Voluntary Euthanasia Society (SAVES), of which she has since been awarded life membership, drafted the bill in large part. In May 2006, she controversially advocated the therapeutic use of MDMA (identified in news media as "ecstasy" or "the base ingredient in ecstasy"). Kanck is the SA spokesperson for Families and Friends of Drug Law Reform, National President of Sustainable Population Australia, a Committee Member of the SA Branch of Sustainable Population Australia, the SA President of Friends of the ABC, a Patron of the Broken Hill Community Foundation, a member of the executive of the SA Council for Civil Liberties, and State President of the Democrats in South Australia.