The Australian Christian Lobby warns that the consequences of legalising Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide in Queensland are far-reaching and still considerably unknown.
Just this week it was reported that two doctors and a psychiatrist could face jail after a Belgium court ruled that in 2010, they diagnosed a 38-year old woman with autism so that she could be euthanised.
“This is the second case to make international headlines this month, with Dutch authorities prosecuting a doctor for drugging an elderly patient’s coffee. The doctor then asked family members to hold down the struggling woman while injecting the lethal drug,” commented ACL’s state director Wendy Francis.
“Cases like these show the dramatic change in attitude towards patients and care when euthanasia is legalised. When death becomes a legal form of care the value for life is ultimately diminished.”
“The recent federal Government announcement of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety serves as a reminder that there are grave issues with the treatment of elderly people already. If physician-assisted suicide becomes a valid form of care, it will only serve to complicate an already flawed system.”
The Australian Christian Lobby will continue to urge the Queensland government to protect vulnerable people by considering additional funding for palliative care services and aged care facilities.
