Euthanasia – ‘All Lives Matter’
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Euthanasia – ‘All lives matter’ Presented by Terri Bell, DLP Qld State Secretary at the DLP Qld State Conference, 8th Sept. 2019 I am extremely privileged and thankful to be a member of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP), an organisation that has the potential to hold a great amount of influence on the Euthanasia debate not only in Qld throughout the coming months, but the whole of Australia. And this is due to a Euthanasia legislation agenda push across the entire country as I speak. As an influential ‘pro-life’ political party, the DLP is one of only a handful of political parties in Australia, to have a Pro-life policy platform, to which we have never shifted our moral compass. I agree with our Federal Secretary Mr Stephen Campbell, when he describes the DLP as an ‘ethical party’, and this enables us as a political group to express an opinion on all sorts of health-related matters, with euthanasia at the forefront of this debate. I would like to start off on a positive note and quote from the current President of the Australian Medical Association (AMA), Dr Michael Gannon, who holds the opinion, ‘that euthanasia does not have a legitimate place in medicine and palliative medicine’. 1 Further-more to this statement, my personal position on euthanasia is that it should not be seen as a substitute for palliative care, as this will quite simply lead to a medical and moral blunder. But in addition to this, I can only urge the AMA, a peak medial institutional body, not to adopt a neutral position on government health policy. They, the peak body of whom its members, charged with our care, know only too well the reality of legalising euthanasia far better than anyone else. We need them to express just as the DLP has, an opinion on all types of health-related matters particularly euthanasia. A 2012 report by the European Institute of Bioethics mentions: ‘Initially legalised under very strict conditions, euthanasia has gradually become a very normal and even ordinary act to which patients are deemed to have a right’. 2 It seems that many pro-euthanasia advocates in Australia use the rights language, and this is when we need to proceed with caution, because that once this takes hold, then holding back the tide is nearly impossible. 2 So my problem is, that once we allow euthanasia to take hold, when does the act of euthanising stop? If you sanction killing for end-of-life pain relief, how can you deny this right to people in physical pain? For example people suffering from chronic conditions that subject them to unbearable pain. Should they too be given the right to die when the agony just becomes too much? Or how can we deny this right to people with mental illness like depression? Or people suffering from depression due to constant bullying (remembering that bullying doesn’t just occur in the schoolyard but also in the workplace). So, if you give this right to people with mental illness, how can you deny this right to people who are just merely exhausted with life? So, if your finding yourself agreeing with any of these sentiments, you’ve just endorsed state-sanctioned suicide 4. Well renouned Journalist Paul Kelly is an avid Pro-Life campaigner and has written many articles condemning pro-euthanasia activists. Television commentator Andrew Denton being one in particular. Denton is quoted in a separate article to Kelly’s saying: ‘that he had come to the conclusion that access to euthanasia should be available to people with a psychiatric condition”. 5 I can’t help but agree with Journalist Paul Kelly’s anecdote that ‘society is irrevocably damaged by the introduction of the practice of doctors killing people’. 3 Kelly likens the recent Victorian Parliamentary Report on end- of-life choices, to a situation very close to home here in Queensland, in which he acknowledges the report ‘written in a scholarly manner and is exceptionally well-referenced’, but adds: “It is surely extraordinary that people sceptical of the ability of governments to get trains running on time fool themselves into thinking they can confidently manage a regime that sanctions the termination of human life".5 3 I will now give an analysis of each State and Territory with reference to Euthanasia and legislative developments over the past year and a half. Many of you may recall in 1995, the Northern Territory (NT) famously becoming the first Australian jurisdiction to legalise euthanasia. Thankfully, it was effectively voided two years later, when the Federal Parliament passed a bill that banned the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and the NT from legalising assisted suicide. After two decades since the NT’s landmark legislation of the practice, it was voided by the Commonwealth Government. Both Territories are believed to be attempting to wrestle back control of their euthanasia laws. Both the ACT and Northern Territory cannot debate or legislate on euthanasia due to the federal legislation introduced to overturn the scheme introduced by Northern Territory more than 20 years ago. Last year the Australian Parliament’s Senate rejected reforms that would have allowed the ACT and the NT to consider its own voluntary assisted dying legislation. 6 This was a bill that Senator Leyonhjelm attempted to have legislated. In August 2018, Senator Leyonhjelm of the Liberal Democrats was successful in having a motion pass the Senate with reference to ‘Restoring Territory Rights (Assisted Suicide Legislation) which was followed by a free vote. An obvious question that should be asked here is, why is a NSW Senator preoccupied with territory rights? Senator Leyonhjelm responded with ‘I’m more motivated by the Federal Government’s “overreach” when it came to legalising euthanasia laws’. 7 4 Fortunately we still have strong pro-life advocates on all sides of politics advocating against Senator Leyonhjelm’s motion. Liberal Senator Eric Abetz said ‘he was concerned by the idea as being counter-productive, as taxpayers were spending ‘millions of dollars on mental health and suicide prevention measures’8. Additionally, strong opposition from Labor elders such as Paul Keating, who expressed concern over the motion and was ‘hopeful that all sides of politics will work to ensure that such a bill is not rushed on in the next sitting weeks’. 9 Fortunately, no bill was passed. Is this purely a case of Senator Leyonhjelm seeking media attention? We all know it as a form of ‘sock media’ tactics that political parties use when they are being starved of media attention. Maybe the DLP needs to start upping-the-anti and begin a similar style of shock media tactics leading into the Qld State Election Campaign. Exibit A Vote 1 Labour DLP this State Election We’ll put ‘U’ back into LaboUr before Labor put’s ‘U’ into eUthanasia Theme Song for Election Campaign: “This house is not for sale” (Bonjovi) (recorded by professional singer for copyright purposes) 5 In November 2016, the South Australian House of Assembly, narrowly rejected a private member’s bill which would have legalised the right to request voluntary euthanasia. The Conscience vote was tied at 23 votes for and against. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the brave actions of Speaker Michael Atkinson (Labor Member for Croydon) who then used his casing vote to decide against the bill and end the debate 10. In Western Australia just last week, Labor Premier Mark McGowan began the debate on the Voluntary Assisted Dying legislation (VAD). Premier McGowan began the debate with a plea to MP’s to end the pain and suffering endured by many people at the end of their lives. Note, this is another Labor Party lead Euthanasia legislative push. This bill has also been largely based on the model in Victoria. It is expected that the law will pass in the Lower House with overwhelming support 11. June this year, Dying with Dignity Tasmania confirmed that they are in discussions with MP’s for a new ‘Voluntary Assisted Dying’ Bill, based largely on the last bill which failed to pass in 2017. It can be quoted that Liberal member and Speaker Sue Hickey, a Catholic, is likely to support it with adequate safeguards. Ms Hickey is quoted as having said that ‘I don’t think you should prolong a person’s agony’ 12. So where is Qld at with reference to euthanasia laws. We all know that laws decriminalising Abortion in Qld was passed last year. This my friends is just the start. Now we really do have a pro-life battle on our hands. Deputy Premier Jackie Trad has been previously quoted as having said that ‘a voluntary euthanasia inquiry would not begin until moves to reform abortion laws were finalised 13. 6 Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk ordered a ‘Euthanasia Inquiry in September of last year, declaring that ‘the issue must be confronted’ 8. There is no denying that a majority of Labor members support euthanasia laws to be legislated in Qld. Ms Palaszczuk also mentioned in a separate source that the parliamentary committee running the inquiry should look to Victoria for guidance. Victoria has Australia’s only euthanasia scheme, which was introduced this year, after the Victorian Parliament passed the legislation. 14 The Voluntary Assisted Dying Act passed Victorian Parliament in 2017 after a conscience vote supported by the Premier, Mr Daniel Andrews and the majority of his Labor cabinet. Applicants must be Victorian residents, aged over 18 years and be assessed by two doctors to have a terminal illness with intolerable pain that will likely cause death within six months or 12 months.