The Catholic Archbishop of Brisbane, Mark Coleridge, has stated his “disappointment” and deep concern after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, head of the government in the Australian state of Queensland, announced that she would introduce assisted dying legislation if she is re-elected on 31 October.
The proposal goes against her previous commitment to await draft assisted dying legislation following a report due to be published on 1 March 2021.
Archbishop Coleridge said that the “development is deeply disappointing”.
He continued: “The Catholic Church is opposed to voluntary assisted dying [and] strongly supports a ‘care first’ approach of high-quality palliative care for all Queenslanders, respect for patient autonomy, preservation of personal dignity and a peaceful end to life.
“It’s every Queenslander’s human right to have equal access to good quality palliative care before parliament considers a policy default to euthanasia. It is certainly not something to be rushed, least of all at a time like this when suicide is a national problem.”
SPUC Comment
A SPUC spokesperson said: “This development, in Queensland, is indicative of a troubling global trend, seeking to make euthanasia the default response to illness and old age rather than palliative care, which Archbishop Coleridge rightly sees as vital to the protection of human dignity.
“Rather than turning to assisted suicide, the Queensland government should answer the call by Palliative Care Queensland and others to increase funding for palliative care, which the care sector believes is desperately needed.”
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