The Catholic Weekly 8 November 2020

catholicweekly.com.au 2 NEWS 8, November, 2020 Call 02 9649 6423 or visit www.catholiccemeteries.com.au Consecrated lawns and chapels Sydney’s only Catholic crematorium Monthly mass for the Repose of Souls Funeral directors available for a Catholic service Bereavement pastoral care Serving the Catholic community for over 150 years FROM PAGE 1 “There are plenty of flaws in this particular Act and it’s go- ing to leave people with a lot of room to be able to hide behav- iour and conduct that is nefari- ous and dangerous. “There is also no doubt in my mind that there are people already thinking of ways to ex- pand this law to include more categories of people.” Human rights lawyer Rich- ard McCleod, a member of Lawyers for Vulnerable New Zealanders criticised the law which will come into force as “too vague, not safe, not trans- parent and is going toharmthe weakest and most vulnerable members of our community”. It would also protect people who abuse them, he said. “This lawwill not be the end of the conversation but will just be the beginning,” Mr Mc- Cleod said. Archbishop Fisher pointed out that a similar bill debat- ed in recent weeks in Tasma- nia’s Upper House is likely to pass with attempts to push it through into law before the end of the year. “These developments show that we have a lot of work to do in building up a civilisation of life and love,” he said. The referendum result means euthanasia and assist- ed suicide will be made legal in New Zealand for those with a terminal illness and less than six months to live, with the sign-off of two doctors. To be eligible, a person must also be a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident, over 18, have significant and ongoing decline in physical capability, and experience un- bearable suffering that cannot be eased in a manner that the person finds tolerable. EUTHANASIA FOR KIDS P17 Death is nowNZ’s path forwards A burden too great for their countrymen: critics say the vulnerable and the disabled will now be a key class of victims of New Zealand’s euthanasia and assisted suicide legislation. I n this edition 14 SYDNEY HONOURS THE MOTHER OF GOD EDITOR Peter Rosengren (02) 9390 5400 REPORTERS Marilyn Rodrigues (02) 9390 5410 David Ryan (02) 9390 5408 SUBSCRIPTIONS Rita Ng (02) 9390 5411 ADVERTISING AND MARKETING Steve Richards (02) 9390 5404 DESIGNERS Renate Cassis Mathew De Sousa Our story begins in 1839 with the Australasian Chronicle, continuing with the Freeman’s Journal in 1850. Level 13, Polding Centre, 133 Liverpool Street, Sydney, NSW 2000. Phone (02) 9390 5400 | Vol 73, No 5158. The Catholic Weekly is published by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney ABN 60 471 267 587 and is printed by ACM Australian Community Media, 159 Bells Line of Road, North Richmond NSW, 2754. News Movies, books Archbishop’s homily Opinion, comment World 1-9 10-11 13, 19-23 16-18 24-25 LEAVE A GIFT Archdiocese of Sydney Catholic CHARITIES Order your FREE Wills and Bequests Guide today 1800 753 959 or [email protected] myWill SUPPORTINGTHE MINISTRIES OF THE CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE OF SYDNEY Leaving a gift in a PRO-LIFE ADVOCATES have welcomed the deci- sion to delay a vote an as- sisted suicide bill in Tasma- nia’s upper house. The final vote was ex- pected to take place on 30 October following intense and lengthy debates on the private member’s bill intro- duced by Independent MLC Mike Gaffney in September. A number of amend- ments were proposed by MPs and a final vote on the bill will now not be made until after the House re- sumes on 10 November. If passed, it would then be considered by the House of Assembly. Mr Gaffney has expressed his hope that the bill would be passed into law this year. Opponents welcome delay as TAS euthanasia amendments flagged The decision to not rush the End-of-Life Bill to a vote was sensible, said Ben Smith of Live and Die Well. “We have said all along that this complex bill should not be rushed through the parliament,” he said. “In the likely event that the Bill passes the Coun- cil, we urge the House of Assembly to simi- larly take a rigorous and considered approach. “As a result of amend- ments, the Bill is now sig- nificantly different from that which Mike Gaffney introduced and requires a new and thorough exami- nation and further con- sultation involving experts and the community. “We call upon members of the House of Assembly not to rush the Bill into law during the budget ses- sion as this would be an imprudent act that could put the lives of vulnera- ble Tasmanians at risk. The proposed law has been opposed by the state’s former chief jus- tice and governor William Cox, Tasmania’s Arch- bishop Julian Porteous, Catholic Health Aus- tralia, and the Tasmanian branch of the Austral- ian Medical Association along with more than 800 health professions who published an open let- ter calling on Premier Peter Gutwein to sup- port growing calls for an inquiry into the bill.