QUEENSLAND’S members of parliament voted emphatically to legalise euthanasia last week, reflecting public opinion, but without heeding Church, medical and ethical advice that it signals a life-or-death societal shift.
MPs in the state’s single chamber parliament backed a Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill (VAD) in a conscience vote 61-30 – a move that will legalise euthanasia for eligible Queenslanders from January 2023.
“The die is cast and across the Rubicon we go: some kind of victory for the government but a real defeat for Queensland, a victory for death but a defeat for life…now we await the dark spectacle of unexpected consequences,” Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge tweeted soon after the bill passed on September 16.
Over two days MPs debated long into the night, fighting back tears as they told personal stories and revealing the difficulty of weighing up opposing views on euthanasia and assisted dying.
The new laws will allow people suffering from a disease or medical condition that is advanced, progressive and terminal to access voluntary assisted dying.
Their condition must be expected to cause death within a year, they must have decision-making capacity, and proceed without coercion.
Deputy Premier Steven Miles said the law would ease pain and suffering, but there were some in his own party who begged to differ.
Labor’s Joe Kelly, a nurse representing the Brisbane seat of Greenslopes voted against VAD. He told parliament that in his professional view good palliative care could provide a dignified death.
Another Labor member, Linus Power representing Logan, said he was disappointed that all 54 amendments were defeated
Dr Christian Rowan the LNP member for Moggil, a former president of the Australian Medical Association of Queensland and the Rural Doctors Association of Queensland said MPs had a duty to consider “every legislative clause, all intent, every oversight and review aspect, every clinical process within State and Federal clinical governance health standards, and importantly, every purported safeguard for vulnerable and at-risk individuals”.
Dr Rowan said the legislation “does not require neither the co-ordinating or consulting doctor on voluntary assisted dying to have any expertise in the particular terminal disease, illness, or medical condition, nor in end of life (or palliative care) of patients”.
Quoting a letter signed by 19 former AMA presidents, Dr Rowan said, these lack of requirements were certainly not medical best practice and could not ensure the patient was adequately informed on possible treatments or palliative care options.
Without any amendments the new bill fails to address many key issues.
An amendment that sought so-called “institutional conscientious objection” would have allowed “faith-based” hospitals and aged care facilities the right to exclude VAD from taking place in their facilities.
Catholic Health Australia had run a concerted campaign to protect Catholic-run facilities that provide about 20 per cent of hospital and aged care beds in Queensland.
The new VAD law will allow terminal patients at faith-based hospitals and aged care facilities to end their lives there, if they are too sick to be moved somewhere else.
“It is deeply troubling for the wonderful men and women who run these hospitals,” Opposition deputy and member for Toowoomba South, David Janetzki, said.
Dr Mark Robinson, opposition member for Oodgeroo told the parliament that without this particular amendment thousands of hospital beds in Queensland are at risk.
“The leaders of St Vincent’s and the Mater appealed to MPs not to force them into a position against their convictions, and I think we should listen,” he said.
“If we don’t we may pay a very high price for forcing this on these institutions that have served us well for a very long time.”
Many MPs cited a lack of palliative care services available to all Queenslanders as a sound reason to reject VAD.
The Member for Scenic Rim Jon Krause was one of many regional voices to speak against the bill.
“We are chipping away at an absolute protection of life,” Mr Krause said.
He said palliative care could alleviate most suffering for most people but pointed out it is not easily accessible to many in regional Queensland.
He said he was fearful people would access VAD so as not to be a burden on their family.
Treasurer Cameron Dick said he supported passing VAD into law, but did so “with a troubled conscience”.
Mr Dick said he feared the laws would change how our society viewed the sanctity of life.
Queensland has joined Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania in passing euthanasia laws. Only New South Wales remains. Its Upper House rejected a VAD Bil in 2017 by just one vote.
