The Catholic Weekly 26 September 2021

catholicweekly.com.au 2 NEWS 26, September, 2021 FROM PAGE 1 “We must reject this bill, it has no real safeguards, there’s nothing stopping many of the depressed or lonely seeking this and we’re creating a so- ciety where we’re saying that people are disposable and their lives don’t matter. Mr Conolly said the NSW bill is “bad in principle and terrible in its form” and worse than the one the state’s parlia- ment voted down in 2017. “It has none of the protec- tions that one would expect from a genuine attempt to placate or meet the needs of the broader community,” he said. “There’s not been a com- munity groundswell about this, it’s a politically orches- trated movement.” Mr Conol- ly said that people should let their leaders know if they op- pose assisted suicide other- wise much of politicians’ in- formation about the public’s attitudes come from polls and surveys provided by euthana- sia supporters. The civic leaders were speaking at an online Zoom webinar convened by Family Voice Australia on 20 Septem- ber. University of Notre Dame Australia associate professor Megan Best also addressed the forum and provided an overview of the euthanasia and assisted suicide debate across the country. It has been characterised by emotional stories of bad deaths, and “plagued” by the use of euphemisms such as ‘voluntary assisted dying’, Dr Best said. “The term voluntary as- sisted dying can mean many things and it is an unhelpful term because it obscures the true meaning of what we’re discussing,” she added. Stand against disaster: MPs “I suggest we focus on how our parliamentarians can best protect the security of the community as is their responsibility. This debate is distracting us from work that needs to be done to improve the wellbeing of people in the last year of life.” Experience of other juris- dictions had showed it was not possible to legislate safely for assisted suicide, while it was ‘immoral to even con- template euthanasia when so much of regional NSW doesn’t have access to spe- cialist palliative care,” Dr Best said. Queensland Liberal MP Mark Robinson said it was disappointing that none of Legalisation of euthanasia in NSWwould be a reversal of centuries of ethical rejection of killing of the ill, the depressed and the isolated. the amendments proposed, including to protect the con- scientious objections of indi- viduals or organisations, were accepted. For example, while the new laws don’t force faith-based hospitals and aged care facil- ities to provide assisted sui- cide, they can’t stop it from occurring on their premises if a patient who is too ill to be moved to another place wish- es to end their life there. Mr Robinson said he thought that the perceived fracturing of the medical community was critical to the loss in that state. Under Alex Greenwich’s Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill, doctors in NSW would be al- lowed to suggest euthanasia to their patients, as long as information about treatment options and palliative care is also provided. Mental illness, including a diagnosis of clinical de- pression, would not prevent a person from accessing eu- thanasia or assisted suicide and faith-based aged care facilities that object to eutha- nasia would still need to allow doctors and nurses on to the premises for every stage of the process. Archbishop Anthony Fish- er OP has warned the pro- posed laws contravene basic Christian principles and those followed for centuries by the medical profession as well. I n this edition 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 5203. 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 Editorial & Letters 1-10 8-9 21 24-25 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michael Kenny (02) 9390 5348 EDITOR Peter Rosengren (02) 9390 5400 REPORTERS Marilyn Rodrigues (02) 9390 5410 Debbie Cramsie (02) 9390 5396 SUBSCRIPTIONS Rita Ng (02) 9390 5411 ADVERTISING AND MARKETING Steve Richards (02) 9390 5404 Katie Clarke (02) 9390 5402 DESIGNERS Renate Cassis Mathew De Sousa Faith in the trajectory of life catch it now at: thiscatholiclife.com.au DOWNLOAD THE OUR FAITH OUR WORKS APP Your one-stop location for Mass and Confession times, spiritual reflections and meditations, podcasts, local Catholic news, the Go Make Disciples mission plan, and much more. To download the app visit ourfaithourworks.org/app or scan the QR Code. Call Katie on (02) 9390 5402 www.catholicjobsonline.com. au Find the career you deserve