Religious leaders have urged Anthony Albanese to hold his ground against his own Left faction after Labor delegates voted to overturn a federal ban on voluntary assisted dying telehealth appointments. Source: The Australian.
Party members carried a motion at the ALP national conference in Adelaide on Friday to “remove the barriers” for Australians to access advice about VAD through mobile and video calls.
A resolution enshrining the right to a conscience vote on VAD was also carried in a bid to give Labor MPs greater choice on the issue while avoiding further factional divisions.
In a statement, Melbourne Archbishop Peter A Comensoli warned Mr Albanese against caving to the faction, saying the government’s focus should be set on improving access to quality palliative care across the country.
“As faith leaders from Christian, Muslim, Sikh and Hindu communities made clear last year, we do not believe euthanasia or assisted suicide can ever be made safe since they involve acts that are unsafe in their very essence,” Archbishop Comensoli said.
“Removing Commonwealth protections would effectively make it easier to access substances intended to end a patient’s life than to access many of the forms of pain relief often used in palliative care.”
Archbishop Comensoli said the current laws, which threaten doctors with a $364,000 fine for “inciting or counselling” suicide via a carriage service, were appropriate.
“We support the Commonwealth government’s position that the current laws are appropriate and continue to urge all governments to improve access to quality palliative care for all Australians,” he said.
The Prime Minister said yesterday he would not personally support the measure, raising concerns it would “undermine” voluntary assisted dying and risked the potential “misuse” of the system.
“I’m a supporter of voluntary euthanasia. I think it is important that people have the right to die with dignity. But it’s also important that protections be placed around it,” he told Insiders.
“That’s my position. Always, these are very personal decisions, though that’s why it’s a conscience vote. I respect the fact there are different views on this,” Mr Albanese said.
FULL STORY
Religious leaders urge Anthony Albanese to hold firm on telehealth VAD ban (By Elizabeth Pike and Marcus De Blonk Smith, The Australian)
PM opposed to telehealth for voluntary assisted dying (By Thomas Henry, The Australian)
