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Faith Leaders - Letter To Premier and MPs
Faith Leaders - Letter To Premier and MPs
Faith Leaders - Letter To Premier and MPs
To: The Hon Mark McGowan, Premier & Members of Parliament of West
Australia regarding the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2019
From: WA Faith Community Leaders
28th August, 2019
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Government endorsed suicide
Endorsing terminating a terminally ill person’s life as a solution to their suffering sends a
confusing message to our community, where nearly one person a day opts for suicide as the
‘solution’ to their suffering. Aboriginal leaders such as Senator Patrick Dodson warn of the
negative impact legalising physician assisted suicide and euthanasia will have on efforts to
reduce indigenous suicide. Suicide is a tragedy that impacts not just the person whose life
is lost, but also their family and community. It would be counter-productive to legally
endorse any form of suicide when our governments and community groups are working so
hard to persuade others that it is not a solution to take their own life.
Undermining trust in our doctors
Once the fundamental principle to ‘do no harm’ and ‘never to kill’ is removed from medical
practice, the integrity of our health system is compromised. It will affect the confidence
that seriously ill patients nearing the end of life can have in the treatment and the quality of
care that they might otherwise have expected. When actively terminating one’s life is an
ever present – even if unspoken – option, how long will it be before the option becomes an
expectation, especially when it is a ‘treatment’ option that a doctor can suggest to a patient,
as is proposed in the Bill?
It is concerning that under the proposed legislation (Sec 26(j), a patient’s treating doctor
need not be informed that other doctors are processing a voluntary assisted dying request.
Given the prevalence of depression and mental health issues, we are concerned that there
is not an obligatory mental health assessment required as part of the application process, as
had been recommended by the Chief Psychiatrist in his evidence to the Parliamentary
Committee.
We conclude that the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2019 can only be supported if we believe
some lives are not worth living – a position we categorically reject.
We ask you all to reject this legislation which would give legal sanction to a doctor assisting
a person to commit suicide.
Yours sincerely,
Most Rev Timothy Costelloe SDB The Most Reverend Kay Goldsworthy AO
Catholic Archbishop of Perth Anglican Archbishop of Perth
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Rabbi Daniel Lieberman Rev Jacob John
Chief Rabbi Vicar
Perth Hebrew Congregation Inc The Perth Mar Thoma Parish Inc