The Catholic Weekly 28 February 2021

$2 In a timewhenwe are beinggiven somuch hope by the efficient rollout of the vacci- nationprogram, it is shocking tohear that peoplewith learningdisabilities are being made the victims of suchdiscrimination.” Bishop Richard Moth MEDICAL ORDERS against attempting to resuscitate pa- tients with learning disabil- ities during the latest COV- ID-19 lockdown in the UK are “wholly unacceptable and immoral,” said the bishops of England and Wales. Bishop Richard Moth of Arundel and Brighton issued a statement denouncing the practice of imposing Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) or- ders on such patients during the second wave of the COV- ID-19 pandemic. The British government said it does not support the practice and has notified all health care providers to desist, threatening further action to halt the practice if necessary. “In a time when we are be- ing given somuch hope by the efficient rollout of the vacci- nation program, it is shock- ing to hear that people with learning disabilities are be- ing made the victims of such discrimination,” said Bishop Moth, chairman of the bish- ops’ Department for Social Justice. Their caregivers “have shown deep love and compas- sion during the pandemic to ensure that they are as safe as possible,” he said. “It is whol- ly unacceptable and immoral to suggest that the challeng- es which some people with learning disabilities face with communicating symptoms shouldmake them candidates for a DNACPR order.” The orders were issued lo- cally by National Health Ser- vice trusts, which run public hospitals in the UK. BishopMoth said “the issu- ing of such orders in a blanket fashion ignores the unique gift of each person, instead treating people with learning disabilities as though they were all the same.” “There should be no dis - crimination of this kind i n our health service,” he add- ed. Bishop Moth repeated a demand made by the bish- ops in April 2020 that “access to treatment and decisions about the care of the sick ... be always focused on the specific needs of the individual.” Mencap, a leading UK charity for people with learn- ing disabilities, raised con- cerns about the orders in a 13 February article in the Lon- don-based Guardian news- paper. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Disabled written off Fury spreads in theUKasmedical bureaucrats tell healthcareworkers not to resuscitate the disabled ¾ Simon Caldwell MORE THAN 600 people packed St Mary’s Cathedral last weekend to witness a ma- jor step in the faith journey of people from all over the Sydney Archdiocese wishing to become members of the Catholic Church. Held annually on the First Sunday of Lent, the Rite of Election is for those preparing to receive the sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist and Con- firmation during the Easter Vigil services in their local parish. In a moving and prayerful ceremony, those preparing to be received into the Church were presented to Archbish- op Anthony Fisher OP by their godparents, sponsors, friends, family and parish communi- ties. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 ¾ Debbie Cramsie Inspired by Jesus, many step forward 28, February, 2021 SCHOOLS WEEK 2021 1968: THE YEAR OF REVOLUTION P14 LIFTOUT INSIDE 2021 Mem bers of Western Sydney’s Chinese Catholic Community, one of the fastest growing groups in the Archdiocese, gather following last Sunday’s Service. G PORTELLI