This ‘kill bill’ divides us into two classes of people: those whose lives are protected by the state with the resources of healthcare, social services and law enforcement and those whose deaths are facilitated because their lives are deemed to be ‘not worth living’. – Archbishop Anthony Fisher
As Canada mulls euthanising the mentally ill, New South Wales politicians voted for lethal injections to become part of “health” care.
Unlike Canada, people suffering “psychological pain” won’t have access but euthanasia is the slipperiest of slopes.
It’s just a matter of time.
NSW is the last Australian state to sign off. The territories are prohibited by Commonwealth law but a new rush at the gate is now expected to bring all jurisdictions in line.
In a few short years, the dominoes have fallen.
It is remarkable that South Australia and NSW fell while Liberal governments were in charge.
Radical social policy is normally legislated by Labor and the Greens, the Liberals just keep it in place when they win government.
Euthanasia sailed through the NSW lower house before Christmas with the Legislative Council voting 20-17 late on Wednesday night.
Amendments will be debated next week and pro-life hospitals and aged care providers are keen for protection.
Among the biggest is the Catholic church and Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher pulled no punches in calling for the government to allow freedom for providers “who do not want to be associated with this lethal regime”.
“Forcing Catholic or other religious providers to have euthanasia on their premises amounts to a grave attack on freedom of religion,” he said.
“I call upon our MPs, even those who are in favour of this bill, to agree to reasonable amendments to provide some limited protections for those most vulnerable and to ensure that faith-based providers of medical and aged care services can continue to offer a choice to residents who do not want to be associated with this lethal regime in any way.
“This ‘kill bill’ divides us into two classes of people: those whose lives are protected by the state with the resources of healthcare, social services and law enforcement and those whose deaths are facilitated because their lives are deemed to be ‘not worth living’.
“It is incredible that the same NSW parliament that put our lives on hold for more than two years in order to protect the most vulnerable has now passed a bill that sanctions their killing.
“As Pope Francis has said, euthanasia and assisted suicide are the marks of a ‘throwaway culture’ where the forgotten, the downtrodden, the poor and the elderly will ultimately suffer,” Archbishop Fisher said.
Conservative voters considering supporting the Liberal Democratic Party at the May 21 federal election should be aware that it is strongly pro-euthanasia.
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