Philip Nitschke has condemned the Medical Board of Australia for suspending his medical registration as a result of his euthanasia activism, calling it a "trial by media" and a "dirty little midnight assassination".

Dr Nitschke sparked controversy in May when he supported the decision of Perth resident Nigel Brayley, 45, to end his life despite the fact that he was not terminally ill.

Below, The Drum reproduces Dr Nitschke's statement in defence of his actions and his organisation Exit International.

[The Medical Board of Australia] claimed in a letter I received late last night that my view that people have a right to choose suicide is incompatible with my responsibility as a doctor.

This vote that they took to silence my opinion marks a new low in medical politics in Australia.

In particular, the committee singled out my, this is a quote, "promotion of the use of Nembutal to persons who have the capacity or are in otherwise sound mind to make a decision about the end of their lives".

It's clear to me that Medical Board has conducted a trial by media which goes against the rule of law and Australian democracy as we know it.

While the medical profession is free to stick its head in the sand and deny the existence of rational suicide - especially in the context of longer lifespans and the ability of medicine to prolong the quantity but less the quality of life almost indefinitely - it beggars belief that a government board can act purely because it doesn't agree with the beliefs of its citizens.

This is a political de-registration, brought on by a fundamental difference in beliefs.

It seems that the view that every adult of sound mind should have access to information on best end-of-life choices is a view that is unacceptable to the Australian Medical Board.

As such, the Medical Board have chosen to use their censoring powers to silence this message and stifle the debate.

This comes on top of the, very recent, Liberal Party's attempts to block the registration of the Voluntary Euthanasia Party as we attempted to register the party prior to the Victorian state election - if you don't agree with someone else's point of view, then censor it.

The Medical Board's attempt to pin their decision on my brief involvement with [alleged] serial wife killer* Nigel Brayley lacks any evidential basis.

And to suggest that my passing acquaintance with Brayley implies a doctor-patient relationship, and an implied duty of care, makes mockery of good medical practice.

Nigel Brayley was a lucid adult of sound mind, and he was not my patient. He had sought to acquire his drugs even before I met him. There was nothing I could or did say to Nigel that would have made him change his mind.

He was not my patient, he was not depressed, and he did not seek or want my advice.

At Exit workshops I speak to hundreds of people about how they might end their lives should the quality of their lives deteriorate - Nigel was simply another case of this.

And while the Medical Board might think that I should frustrate the plans of these rational adult Australians, I don't share the Medical Board's nanny state sentiments.

Adult Australians should be able to make up their own minds. They don't need a doctor telling them what they can and can't do.

The doctor-knows-best attitude displayed by the Medical Board is an extreme example of the unhealthy, outdated medical paternalism rife in the profession.

And the speed with which the Immediate Action Committee of the Medical Board dismissed my detailed 18-page response, submitted on Monday night, shows contempt for the investigative process.

Regardless of what I said, it seems the Board were seeking to carry out their dirty little midnight assassination aimed at silencing me, and stifling discussion on this important social topic.

The speed of the Board's decision shows no attempt to address the issues raised in my response.

Indeed, the fact that the Federal Government Solicitor's office sent an 11th hour legal letter just before the Board handed down the decision suggests that the Board is being driven by far bigger, and far more senior political forces.

The challenge now is to find out which politicians have forced the Board to make a decision that seems contrary to Australian law.

The Medical Board's decision is in keeping with the Liberal Government's long standing policy of censorship of information on death and dying.

In 2007, prime minister John Howard and attorney-general Philip Ruddock sought to overturn the decision of the independent Office of Film and Literature Classification and ban my Peaceful Pill Handbook.

Seven years later and now another government body, the Medical Board, is not only objecting to my authoring of The Peaceful Pill Handbook, but also objecting to me running Exit's long-standing and highly popular workshop program on end of life choices.

Indeed, it seems the Board objects to everything I do in my small non-profit organisation, Exit International.

The Board has even singled out my plan to host an academic conference in 2015 on the topic of 'rational suicide' with international speakers, as further grounds on which I should be immediately de-registered.

We will be appealing the decision of the Medical Board and expect the rule of law to correct the factual and legal errors inherent in the Board's knee-jerk political adjudication.

I will finish now by pointing out that although I am disappointed in the Board's decision, it will have very little impact on my work as a director of Exit International.

In fact, in the past month, there has been unprecedented interest in the work of Exit International. This has led to the need to schedule an extra five workshops in Australia before the end of the year.

And sales of my Peaceful Pill Handbook - published in the US - have reached an all-time high, suggesting that public interest in this issue is intense.

So I will continue to provide end-of-life-choice workshops to the growing number of elderly Australians who want this information.

The people of Australia are voting with their feet. They don't like or want a government that treats them like children.

There is no place in modern Australia for the nanny state put forward by the Australian Medical Board.

And like all attempts at censorship in the internet age, the Medical Board's decision is a case of trying to close the stable door after the end-of-life choices/free speech horse has well and truly bolted.

*Editor's note: Police say the circumstances surrounding the death of Ms Brayley are still being investigated by the Major Crime Squad, and that the death of Mr Brayley will be the subject of a coronial inquest.

If you or someone you know needs help, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Dr Philip Nitschke is the founder of Exit International, a voluntary euthanasia advocacy organisation. View his full profile here.