PUBLIC support for euthanasia would rapidly drop with more palliative care services and a greater public understanding of what these services have to offer, according to experts in the field.
The experts’ comments follow opinion polls frequently showing as many as 85 per cent of Australians support voluntary euthanasia.
There is a push for euthanasia going on in most states, although no bill is before the Queensland Parliament.
The Greens leader Senator Bob Brown is also planning to introduce a bill to restore to the Northern Territory and to the ACT the right to legislate to allow legalised euthanasia.
Brisbane’s St Vincent’s Hospital medical director of palliative care Dr Julia Wootton said “once people are better educated to understand what palliative care is and what it isn’t, they will be clamouring for increased palliative care services, rather than advocating the legalisation of euthanasia”.
Dr Wootton said many people’s thinking on euthanasia had been influenced by “the myth that everyone who has cancer is going to die in agony – dispelling the myth requires education about what palliative care has to offer”.
Palliative Care Queensland chief executive officer John-Paul Kristensen agreed and said the reality was “modern technology could relieve suffering in almost all cases and help ensure a good quality of life for the terminally ill”.
Mr Kristensen also expressed concern that impending cuts in Queensland Government funding meant palliative care hospital beds were being lost throughout the state, including 10 publicly funded beds at Oxley’s Canossa Private Hospital next year.
Queensland Bioethics Centre director Ray Campbell supported the call for increased funding, saying “It is not simply a matter of saying ‘no’ to euthanasia (and assisted suicide) but saying ‘yes’ to proper care for those in need”.
“We need to have a good look at where we are spending our health-care dollar,” Mr Campbell said.
Dr Wootton, who has worked for 15 years as a palliative care specialist, said the answer to reducing public support for euthanasia was “education about what can be done to support patients and families living with a terminal illness”.
“Today, many people seem to feel a sense of hopelessness around death and dying,” she said.
“This makes them feel euthanasia is the only answer.
“But from my experience with the terminally ill, very few continue to request euthanasia once they are in contact with palliative care services and their fears and concerns have been addressed.”
Dr Wootton said a number of myths existed around palliative care and death and dying.
“One myth is that palliative care is all about giving people more and more drugs to help them die more quickly.
“This is simply not the case.
“Another myth is that everyone is going to die in pain and agony and nothing can be done.
“But many people have no concept of how skilled we are – in fact 90 per cent of people’s pain can be controlled and the other 10 per cent improved.
“In addition, some people have no pain at all when they are dying.”
In terms of legalising euthanasia, Dr Wootton said “You cannot have the right to die for a few without compromising the right to life of large numbers of other people in society”.
“Many of these other people are intellectually handicapped, disabled or have mental illness and may not be able to consent to euthanasia,” she said.
“In Holland, for example, because the euthanasia act covers the relief of unbearable suffering, people other than the terminally ill are being given euthanasia – these include new-born babies and the mentally ill.”
Mr Kristensen said Palliative Care Queens-land “wanted to be a clear voice arguing euthanasia is not part of palliative care”.
“A big issue is lack of awareness of death and dying – we need to start thinking of what death looks like and plan for it,” he said.
“We are a death-denying society, yet there’s nothing to be frightened of … after all death is a natural part of life.
“A terminal diagnosis can lead to a wonderful enriching experience for many people.
“Modern palliative care allows terminally ill people the opportunity to have a very good quality of life, to do the many things people need to do before they die, enjoy their family around them, even live in their own home if that’s what they want.”
Inadequate government funding for palliative care is a major concern.
“As a representative of the peak body for organisations involved in palliative care, I was part of a meeting with the Queensland Government on the matter recently,” Mr Kristensen said.
“Again, I clearly reiterated to Government representatives, recurrent funding to non-government providers of palliative care has not been increased for more than 10 years.
“Some Queensland regional areas such as Hervey Bay are experiencing a 25 per cent increase in referral rates to palliative care per year – yet there’s been no annual increase in funding to non-government providers, who are now being forced to rely on donations.
“Funding increases are still linked to the CPI – this year it was standing at about 3.25 per cent.”
Mr Kristensen said, despite concerns in some quarters about the attitudes of Austral-ians to euthanasia, the current debate was not all bad.
“The debate is shining a light on end-of-life care … and that’s a good thing,” he said.
For more information contact the palliative care helpline on 1800 772 273.
