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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 2 Hansard (26 February) . . Page.. 492 ..

MR WHITECROSS (continuing):

the practical experience of a great many dying people can be ignored in some sort of triumphalist view of medical technology. Only last week I read in the paper the reflections of a palliative care specialist who conceded that on occasions it is not possible to alleviate pain. His solution to this problem was to provide drugs which would render the person into a sleep and during that sleep their breathing would be suppressed to the point where fluid would build up in their lungs, they would acquire pneumonia and they would die. I do not believe that that is a triumph of medical technology; that is just an abrogation of moral responsibility. I do not believe that in an ethical sense that decision to put someone into a sleep during which they acquire an infection and die can be described as being any different from providing a lethal injection. I do not believe that that is in any sense a triumph of medical technology.

Another objection which is often raised is the notion that somehow or other voluntary euthanasia will lift the lid on all the evil motivations and ill will which abide just below the surface in the hearts of the medical profession and the family and friends of the suffering patient; that the choice available to the dying person of bringing an end to their suffering of their own volition will somehow cause their loving and caring friends and medical professionals to abandon that affection and to replace it with an earnest desire that they take their own life. I simply do not accept that that is a true reflection of what happens. As I said last time this subject was debated, it is, generally speaking, the family and friends who are the last to accept the death of the individual. (Extension of time granted) Almost invariably, the family and friends are the last to accept that the person is going to die. It is invariably the medical profession who are the last to want to see their patient die, and I do not think that there is any substantial justification for this. A variation of this argument goes along the line that the dying person will want to end it in order to cease to be a burden on family, on friends, on taxpayers and on others.

Mr Speaker, I do not deny that the existence of this option creates an element of choice for the person. No-one can deny that the giving of an extra choice will have any effect other than to cause some people to contemplate that choice. It cannot be other than that. Some people may factor into that choice the kinds of considerations that people have suggested. I do not know how likely that is, but it cannot be ruled out. Mr Osborne was keen to say that advocates of voluntary euthanasia denied that there was any pressure on people to die. Of course some people who are dying feel some pressure. How can we deny that? But, as I said before, confronting these difficult decisions, grappling with these moral dilemmas, is the essence of life, the essence of being a human being. For the sake of avoiding presenting to some this difficult decision, I do not think we can deny others who wish to make this choice the opportunity to do so. I would hope that family and friends, medical practitioners, counsellors, priests and others would provide positive encouragement to people in their suffering, so that they would not feel unnecessary pressure. I believe it is a moral responsibility on others to do the right thing by the dying.

Another furphy which has been around and which was raised again this morning is that, somehow or other, voluntary euthanasia imposes an unfair burden on the conscience of practitioners. It was suggested this morning by, I think, the Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn that practitioners may be obliged to advise people of this option in order to avoid medical negligence actions, and that if they fail to do so they could be liable to be sued. Mr Speaker, if we get to the detail stage of discussing this Bill,

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