The Catholic Weekly 17 May 2020

catholicweekly.com.au 11 17, May, 2020 liamentary time to open the doors for another, more silent, one to occur. And then we have the push for the legalisation of eutha- nasia and assisted suicide. While you don’t have to be an expert in political strate- gy to realise that it is proba- bly not good politics to push through divisive legislation that sanctions the killing of vulnerable people while the rest of the world is doing their utmost to save those most at risk, there are particular rea- sons why it is imprudent in the current climate. A week before a parlia- mentary committee handed down its report recommend- ing the legalisation of eutha- nasia and assisted suicide, the same committee handed down another report, outlin- ing the devastating state of aged care and palliative care in Queensland. The Committee heard evi- dence that almost 60 per cent of people who required spe- cialist palliative care services at the end of life did not re- ceive specialist palliative care, and that some communities have no specialist palliative care services at all. This is in addition to other evidence the Committee re- ceived about the drastic un- derfunding and understaffing in residential aged care. I would suggest to Pre- mier Palaszczuk that as she approaches an election, she might look to seeing what the state government can do about improving the condi- tion of aged care and access to palliative care before provid- ing the “choice” of legalised euthanasia to the state’s most vulnerable. But then again, what do I know? How can this be a priority I f I were an advisor to Queensland Premier An- nastacia Palaszczuk, I would suggest she use the next six months to lead her state through the health, economic and social recov- ery needed following the COVID-19 crisis, hoping that strong and positive leader- ship will distract from the disastrous resignation of her deputy amidst allegations of corruption. I would also warn her against trying to push ahead with radical social chang- es, some of which bear Jac- ki Trad’s fingerprints, in the handful of sitting days that will occur when parliament fi- nally resumes sitting on Tues- day. The Premier has indicated parliament would sit for three days, which could give it more time than is needed to pass emergency COVID-19 laws, and move onto other laws on the agenda. The Brisbane Times help- fully “compiled a list of pro- posed laws that have been put on the backburner during the crisis” and published it on Monday. After increasing the fines for those who illegally park in spaces reserved for those with disabilities, the Fairfax pub- lication suggested the next three items on the list should be the stripping of legal pro- tections for the seal of confes- sion, the banning of so-called “conversion” therapy and the legalisation of euthanasia and assisted suicide. Let’s look at these briefly. Churches across the coun- try have been closed now for a couple of months. For most Catholics living in Queensland, the celebration of the Sacrament of Recon- ciliation was suspended from 23 March, so the majority of Catholics in that state and across the country haven’t been to confession in nearly two months. As restrictions begin to lift and as Catholics seek to return to confession and priests are asked to be generous inmak- ing the sacrament available, passing a law that attacks the practice of confession and the freedom of priests and peni- tents would be a public rela- tions nightmare. I would suggest to Premier Palaszczuk that she might look first for a way to ensure that the faithful have greater opportunities to return to the practice of their faith before finding another way to dis- suade them from doing so. Then we move on to the ban on so-called conversion therapy. This ban is market- ed to stop the use of practices such as electro-shock therapy to change a person’s sexu- al orientation, but goes much further, prohibiting any “treat- ment or other practice that at- tempts to change or suppress a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.” These bans, which Victoria and the ACT have also moved to put in place, are increas- ingly controversial in light of the Federal Health Minister’s refusal to authorise a formal parliamentary inquiry into what medical practitioners have called “the rapid rise of childhood gender dyspho- ria in Australia and the lack of scientific basis for current medical treatment.” With the Gender Service at Victoria’s Royal Children’s Hospital going from seeing one case a month just a de- cade ago to now seeing one new child patient each day, the “rapid rise” to which these doctors refer would make a COVID-19 graph blush. I would suggest to Pre- mier Palaszczuk that while she attempts to bring her state through one pandemic, she should not use valuable par- An unidentified man suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and who refused to eat, sleeps peacefully the day before passing away in a nursing home in Utrecht, Netherlands. PHOTO: CNS, MICHAEL KOOREN, REUTERS Queensland faces big challenges. But will it address them? T o the point with Monica Doumit It is probably not good politics to push through leg- islation that sanctions the killing of vulnerable people while the rest of the world are doing their utmost to save those most at risk.” Fundraising for NEW DIVINE MERCY CHURCH This will be a truly beautiful church and an important place of pilgrimage. As can be seen in the photos cladding of the wall is well underway. We ask for your financial and prayerful support, as a lot of work needs to be done on the inside in order to bring the Church to a stage where we can open it on 19 April 2020. Your generosity and support is greatly appreciated. May God bless you! - Fr Paul DONATION FORM I would like to support the work of building the new Divine Mercy Church with a one-off donation of:  $25  $50  $100  $250  $500  $1000 other $.................................. or  I authorise the Divine Mercy Church Building Fund to make automatic monthly deductions of $........................ from my credit card until further notice. Also, any bequests would be very gratefully accepted. Donations can also be made by Direct Transfer to: Bendigo Bank 633 108 Acc No. 158396895 Payment type:  Cash  Cheque/Money Order  Visa  MasterCard Card No: _________________________________________________ Expiry Date: _____________ Amount: $________________ Card Holder’s Name: ______________________________________ Signature: ________________________________________________ Title:____________________ Name: __________________________ Address: _________________________________________________ Postcode:________________ Phone: ( ) _________________ Email: ______________________________________________ Please send this form with your donation to: DIVINE MERCY CHURCH BUILDING FUND PO Box 8, Bullsbrook, Western Australia 6084. P: +61 (0) 8 9571 8068 Thanks to the generosity of donors good progress has been made on the Divine Mercy Church in Western Australia. Lower Chittering, WA DONATE ONLINE: www.divinemercychurchwa.com.au