The Catholic Weekly 5 April 2020

catholicweekly.com.au 6 NEWS 5, April, 2020 NEWS Qld suicide plan the most radical yet Prolife advocates, bishops slam regime allowing almost any reason to end lives In brief Six sisters die Christians blamed SIX ITALIAN nuns from the Little Missionary Sis- ters of Charity have died from COVID-19. The out- break occurred in their residence in Tortona, Northern Italy, with half of the convents 40 nuns testing positive. US JOURNALIST and author Katherine Stew- art has laid the blame for the COVID-19 pandem- ic at the feet of Evangeli- cal Christians. In a recent New York Times Op-Ed Stewart wrote “Don- ald Trump rose to power with the determined as- sistance of a movement that denies science, bash- es government and pri- oritised loyalty over pro- fessional expertise. In the current crisis, we are all reaping what that move- ment has sown,” she wrote. A PROPOSED assisted sui- cide regime in Queensland which would be the country’s most radical has been round- ly condemned by advocates and faith leaders. Queensland’s parliamen- tary health committee report examining end-of-life issues was tabled on 31 March. It recommends widening the scope of accessibility and lowering important safe- guards, including that it not only apply to the terminal- ly ill expecting to die within six months, as is the case in Victoria and from July 2021, Western Australia. Rather, any adult perma- nent Queensland resident could be considered who has “an advanced and progressive terminal, chronic or neurode- generative medical condition that cannot be alleviated in a manner acceptable to the person, and that the condi- tion will cause death”. The report also recom- mends that no counselling be required and that a person with a mental illness is not disqualified from accessing assisted suicide or euthana- sia. Archbishop of Brisbane Mark Coleridge said that the recommendations came as no surprise “given the cultural tide of this time and the re- sources invested by the sup- porters of physician-assisted suicide”. “But there is a dark irony that these recommendations appear at a time when the COVID-19 crisis is casting the shadow of death across the planet – and with these recommendations and any legislation that may follow from them that shadow grows darker,” he told The Catholic Leader . ¾ ¾ Marilyn Rodrigues The report recommends that no counselling be required and that a person with a mental illness is not disqualified from accessing assisted suicide or euthanasia. A young Catholic family. Jack Cramer with his wife Milla and their two year old daughter Nina PHOTO: MILLA CRAMER He noted that the report was tabled at a time when suicide rates in Australia had reached an alarming level. “Now it is proposed that su- icide become an acceptable option in law, and one won- ders what signal this sends,” he said. The Australian Catholic Bishop’s delegate for eutha- nasia Bishop Tim Harris said that the fresh impetus for de- bate on assisted suicide dur- ing the coronavirus pandemic was like “rubbing salt into the wound”. “Here we are talking about preserving life and fighting for life, not taking it away,” he told The Catholic Weekly . “We’ll never be the same again because of where we seem to be going in relation to the assisted suicide legislation being presented to state par- liaments around the country.” The report came in two parts, with the first highlight- ing a desperate need for bet- ter palliative care resources, particularly in remote and re- gional areas of the state. The committee heard that regional Queensland had one palliative care specialist instead of the recommended eight, and that nurses in aged care homes have no palliative care training. The report recommends that in remote and regional areas where there are insuffi- cient doctors, that registered nurses be able to oversee the process including administer- ing a lethal drug subject to the Health Minister’s consent. Director of HOPE Branka van der Linden said that the report’s conclusions, which came after a 15-month in- quiry, were “deeply problem- atic”. “The committee has sought to rectify the inequality of ac- cess to doctors in rural and remote Queensland not with seeking to invest in more resources and provide in- centives for doctors to work in these areas, but rather to lower the bar in terms of safe- guards for those in regional and remote areas of the state, many of whom are First Na- tions peoples,” she said. Bishop Harris said it was a “disgrace” that quality palli- ative care is still out of reach for so many people in end of life situations in remote and regional areas. “The response being offered is, rather than try to properly address that problem, let’s help people to access assisted suicide,” he said. “People will seek to push the envelope further. “In practice this means the scheme could include a range of conditions that could ulti- mately be terminal but may be curable or managed, like dia- betes. Persons with episodic mental illness can access the scheme if they have a deci- sion-making capacity, which might include many persons with clinical depression. “All of these extensions to the Victorian scheme reduce safeguards and increase the risk to the vulnerable associ- ated with euthanasia.” The report recommends that conscientious objection by medical professionals be allowed only so long as the “rights of patients to access the scheme are also protect- ed”. “Governments will defend their respective legislation, but we all know from over- seas experience that there are loopholes everywhere,” said Bishop Harris. “Once a thing is established there will be people seeking to then push the envelope further.” AUSTRALIAN CATHOLICS in the health sector are fighting on the frontlines of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Armed with medical skills and faith, they risk exposure to them- selves and their loved ones for the safety of the wider com- munity. Nursing Assistant, Jack Cramer, from the Parish of Holy Cross in Redcliffe, Queensland, told The Catho- lic Weekly about the effects of COVID-19 on his workplace at an aged care facility in Bris- bane. The young Catholic father said that while COVID-19 had ¾ ¾ David Ryan Family weighs heavy on nurses’ minds not yet reached his workplace, precautions were already be- ing implemented. “Day to day work has changed in the way we are having to do things. We now have extra cleans and extra hand washes to try to slow things down,” he said. Jack, his wife Milla, and their two-year-old daughter Nina share accomodation with Jack’s elderly grand- mother Betty in Redcliffe. The threat of COVID-19 is there- fore very real for his imme- diate loved ones – young and old. “I have a family. It is one thing hearing about everything in the news and another thing to see the con- sequences and actions taken in your own life. It brings a reality to the situation that is confronting.” In light of the situation, however, Jack said he had become more reliant on prayer especially with de- votion to the Virgin Mary to protect himself and others at work – a habit that before COVID was not as strong. “When I amat work I am lot more conscious. I always pray to Our Lady and that keeps me staying on track – by pray- ing ‘Hail Mary’ over and over again in my head. All day long I just pray to Our Lady to help me. Before I didn’t usually do that.” The importance of prayer is even more important giv- en the absence of physical communion at Mass due to restrictions said Jack. “A lot of Catholic healthcare workers go to Mass early in the morn- ing. But this is not available anymore. So we have to turn to more prayer to make up for that.” Despite the daunting situ- ation Jack said he has confi- dence following preventative procedures such as frequent hand washing as well as trust in prayer. “I am doing all the correct preventative proce- dures and saying my prayers and that gives me confidence in protection,” he said. Jack’s advice to other Catholic healthcare workers: “Say your prayers and follow precautions and if you do those two things you’ll be al- right.” All of these extensions to the Victo- rian scheme reduce safeguards and increase the risk to the vulnerable associated with euthanasia.” Bishop Tim Harris Hospital ‘troubling’ GLOBAL EVANGELICAL Christian charity Samari- tan’s Purse has set up an emergency field hospital in New York City’s Central Park to help handle the COVID-19 outbreak. The city’s Mayor Bill de Blasio criticised the move telling the NY Post newspaper that he found it “very troubling” that Samaritan’s Purse had opened the field hospi- tal, voicing concerns that it would “discriminate” against those who identi- fy as LGBT, and promising to monitor it to make sure there’s no “discrimina- tion.”