18 3, May, 2020 C omment catholicweekly.com.au The media has been en- dorsing this sudden admira- tion and respect for the old- er generation, but how deep does this truly run? While we have these won- derful community initiatives, there is simultaneously a co- vert push for euthanasia – for the same group of people we are dedicating resourc- es towards protecting. While the nation was distracted by the global health crisis, the Queensland Parliament Health Committee tabled a report that recommend- ed euthanasia for vulnerable people. The committee rec- ommended there not be any Towards the elderly we are acting like schizophrenics F orgotten. A burden. Better off dead. This is the message that is normally sent to elderly Australians. Promoted by the media and reinforced by public policy and preju- dice, our oldest generation are seen as little more than a drain on the health care system. But this isn’t a normal time. This is COVID time, and the world has flipped. Suddenly the most vulner- able members of our commu- nities are the most protect- ed. Of course, this is the way it should be, but our society’s utilitarian outlook generally prevents this frombeing the reality. Often in Australia, we view people like milk – great when you first get it but useless once it’s out of date and taking up precious fridge space. This utilitarian view is dangerous. Human beings do not have an expiry date. We should be caring for them regard- less of their situation. Surely it should not have taken a pan- demic for us to realise this, but here we are. Over the past monthmy Facebook news feed has con- sisted of photos of young chil- dren beaming through the window at their grandparents, screenshots of ZOOM calls and facetimes with elderly rel- atives, meals dropped off to neighbours and community groups assisting the isolated elderly with grocery shopping. limitation on when a person could end their life, that peo- ple withmental illnesses not be excluded from the scheme and that counselling was un- necessary. The Netherlands went a step further, their high court ruling that if a patient had given permission to be eu- thanised at some point in their life, there was no need for a doctor to confirm their con- sent later on. The decision was made after a doctor was pros- ecuted for euthanising an el- derly woman in 2016. The woman, who had Alz- heimer’s wrote a note request- ing to be euthanised before entering an aged care facility “while still inmy senses and when I think the time is right.” Four years later, before being moved into care, the doctor decided she should be eu- thanised based on the ‘con- sent’ given in her note. A seda- tive was mixed into her coffee, the woman lost conscious- ness and the doctor proceed- ed to euthanise her. However she woke up during the pro- cess and had to be held down by her daughter and husband while the doctor finished tak- ing her life. This is now con- sidered ‘consent’ in the Neth- erlands. How can we claim to re- spect the elderly, while treat- ing them in this inhumane manner? If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it should be that every life is precious and no one is disposable. Now we just need our politicians to acknowledge this too. Perhaps minus the grubby fingerprints, we should always be eager, like those grandchil- dren grinning at their grand- parents through the window, to be as much a part of ours loved ones lives as possible. There for them even during isolation. Love is the answer, not the false compassion of euthanasia. Rebecca Gosper is the Direc- tor of LifeChoice Australia. SEE ONLINE: PROF MARGARET SOMERVILLE: END OF LIFE DECISIONS Women, equality and the Church M y last piece on women dea- cons caused a bit of a flutter on Facebook. It was mostly civ- il; only one person was called an idiot, and it wasn’t by me. But it showed some interest- ing things about the Church today. Bishop Richard Umbers recently asked the Plenary Council to focus on ecclesi- ology – the study of what the Church actually is. Without a common understanding, we can’t have these discussions. It’s clear that some Cath- olics think the Church is just a human institution. So it’s quite logical to ask why wom- en can’t be ordained. After all, every other hu- man institution – parliament, banks, the law – is now open to women on equal terms. If the Church is just a human institution, why bar us from holding any position? But the Church isn’t a hu- man institution. No human institution could last 2000 years with the poor deci- sion-making, bad judgement, corruption and human weak- ness that’s been very evident in the Church’s history. The two most important decisions in Church history were both made by women. IMAGE:WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/PUBLIC DOMAIN Christy Lugo thanks the public for taking the necessary precautions to protect the elderly. PHOTO: CNS/COURTESY LITTLE SISTERS OF THE POOR The Church is either human and democratic or like the Blues Brothers – on a mission fromGod The Church is a divine in- stitution, founded by God Himself when He lived on earth with us. Its continued existence is guaranteed by God Himself, thank goodness, because we’re pretty hope- less. Jesus not only taught his disciples before His death, but after it, between the Resurrec- tion and the Ascension.The early Church had a clear idea of what it was supposed to do, andwhat it was supposed to look like. Evangelical Protestants who read early Church documents have a habit of becoming Cath- olics, because they can recog- nise very quickly the onlymod- ern Church that still acts and believes like the early Church. None of this included women doing what St Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 11. Jesus did other radical things, but He didn’t do this. The Church doesn’t have the pow- er or authority tomakemajor changes towhat it was taught by GodHimself, precisely be- cause it’s not a human insti- tution. We have towork withwhat we’ve got, or we cease to be the Church and become amerely human institution. The second thing I noticed was the idea that priests make all the important decisions in the Church. I suppose it de- pends on what you think is important. If you see this in purely human – and male and clerical - terms, then it looks like clergy have all the aces. But the two most import- ant decisions in Church histo- ry were both made by women. They literally turned history around – one in the wrong di- rection, and the other in the right. Women also make count- less critical decisions every day that shape the Church, es- pecially as they are the prima- ry child-rearers in many fami- lies. This is before we even get near their roles as religious superiors, teachers, spiritu- al directors, mystics, tireless fundraisers, writers, theolo- gians, and CEOs. It’s very hard to talk about so many issues when we don’t know what the Church is, and what it can and can’t do. It’s critical we go back to eccle- siology, and rediscover what we’ve forgotten. Dr Philippa Martyr is a Perth-based historian, lec- turer and researcher. She can be contacted at: Philippa.
[email protected] Philippa Martyr Rebecca Gosper If COVID-19 has taught us any- thing, it should be that every life is precious and no one is disposable. Nowwe just need our politicians to acknowledge this too.”