QUEENSLAND members of parliament will cast their votes today on whether to legalise euthanasia.
After two days of debating a controversial Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) Bill, the state’s Deputy Premier Steven Miles last night urged MPs not to let their desire for better palliative care services stand in the way of voting to give terminally ill Queenslanders access to VAD.
A lack of palliative care services available to all Queenslanders was one of the reasons that many MPs gave as they spoke in opposition to the Bill.
There will be a parliamentary vote today with all members allowed a conscience vote.
It’s likely the VAD Bill will be supported by a majority, despite many passionate voices of dissent from both Labor and LNP members.
One of the last to rise and speak last night was the Member for Scenic Rim Jon Krause who said of the proposed assisted dying laws: “We are chipping away at an absolute protection of life”.
Mr Krause 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.
Labor’s Member for Logan, Linus Power also spoke against the proposed laws.
He said he had asked multiple oncologists and palliative care experts if they could predict six to 12 months from when a patient was expected to die whether that patient would face “a bad death” and they told him they were unable to do that.
“This legislation puts the burden of the decision…on a patient who has never experienced the progression of their illness,” he said.
“A specialist told me ‘diseases are hard to predict and doctors can make mistakes’.”
Treasurer Cameron Dick said he would support passing VAD into law, but “with a troubled conscience”.
Mr Dick said he feared the laws would change how our society viewed the sanctity of life.
He said he was opposed to any future expansion of the proposed scheme that would come in to force in January 2023 to include children or those suffering from mental illness.
“All human life is valuable,” Mr Dick said.
“The dying should never believe or be led to believe our world is better off without them and the laws should never be used by anyone to validate those sentiments.”
Former LNP leader and member for Nanango Deb Frecklington voiced her opposition to the Bill on the grounds that “we have no or near to no” palliative care in many hospitals.
She said many of her regional seat constituents were not able to access palliative care until a few days before they died.
“Why not fix the system we have without adding more pressure,” Ms Frecklington said.
