The Catholic Weekly is unashamedly, unabashedly, unconditionally pro-life. We support the dignity of the human person from conception to a natural death.
We strained every sinew to oppose the legalisation of euthanasia and assisted suicide in Australia.
If deaths follow the trend set by countries like Belgium and Canada, one in 20 deaths could eventually be due to what is euphemistically called “voluntary assisted dying”.
The most insidious feature of VAD is that its safeguards keep tumbling and its boundaries keep expanding. In other countries, teenagers, people who are mentally ill or suffering dementia, or people who are not even terminally ill can be given lethal injections. There’s no reason to think that this will not eventually happen here.
That’s why we oppose telehealth for VAD. Its supporters in Federal Parliament argue that it will give equal access to VAD for people living in rural and remote areas. But signing off on a request to die without a face-to-face interview is extremely dangerous.
Recently the media reported that an online clinic had prescribed injectable weight-loss drugs to a woman with a history of anorexia nervosa. Ozempic or Wegovy could kill someone suffering from anorexia.
“The prescribing of weight loss medications to patients who may be experiencing anorexia or other eating disorders is one example of the kind of harm inadequate supervision can produce,” independent MP Monique Ryan told Federal health minister Mark Butler.
Another example is prescribing lethal medications for patients whom the doctor has never met. As Dr John Obeid contends in an interview in these pages this week, over a screen the doctor will not be able to observe non-verbal signs of agitation or distress or the presence of another person who might be exerting pressure on the patient.
Legalising telehealth VAD would demolish a key safeguard against abuse – that doctors verify that patients are acting freely and responsibly when they choose to die. That’s why we are campaigning against it.
If telehealth is too dangerous for people suffering from anorexia, it’s too dangerous for anyone suffering from despair, loneliness, and distress.
Love is proved by deeds
As the church marks Safeguarding Sunday under the theme ‘Love Protects’, its commitments must be measured not only by policies and assurances, but by how survivors are treated.
This week, ABC’s Four Corners investigation, “Christian Brothers Inc.”, brought renewed attention to the order’s handling of civil abuse claims and its relationship with Edmund Rice Education Australia.
In his first television interview since the Christian Brothers disclosed their financial crisis, EREA Trustees chair Dr Stephen Brown apologised for any additional trauma caused to survivors and promised that the schools body would work with them to “make it right”.
The Catholic Weekly reported in July that EREA had agreed to assume responsibility for current and future claims, and the revised arrangement remains subject to creditor and court approval.
The new Healing and Support Service launched by the Sydney and Parramatta dioceses is another practical step towards listening and responding with compassion. Look out for an interview with the healing and support counsellor Lorena Portocarrero in an upcoming edition. `
