HIGH STANDARD OF CARE ENOUGH
TOWNSVILLE Bishop Tim Harris is standing firm against the proposed voluntary assisted dying (VAD) laws, saying it is required for the sake of a greater good.
The controversial issue of legislating euthanasia in Queensland has provoked spirited debate in state parliament over the past two days, with a conscience vote on the matter expected to take place on Thursday.
Based in Townsville’s Sacred Heart Cathedral for the past four years, the “ideologically driven” bishop aspires to be constructive, and is passionate about people’s welfare – particularly at the beginning and end of their lives.
As Catholic Church’s spokesman for euthanasia, Bishop Harris is adamant that the value of human life should be upheld. “What I believe is that VAD weakens society’s respect for human life,” Bishop Harris said.
“Human life is sacrosanct for us, it influences everything that I say and do. I’ve got to stand up for human life from its beginning to its natural end,” he said. As someone who supported his parents through the heartbreaking journey of palliative care to their natural deaths, he described it as an emotional experience, but the thought of ending things sooner was never considered.
Bishop Harris said there would be no need for people to think about euthanasia if a high-standard palliative care was widely available throughout Queensland and delivered by an adequate number of specialists.
Bishop Harris regarded Queensland’s proposed VAD laws as more extreme than those in other states, putting religious-run hospitals and aged-care facilities in a precarious position where they couldn’t conscientiously object, and would be forced to facilitate assisted dying on site when patients were too sick to be transferred.
This would have an adverse impact on nearby patients, religious medical professionals and the sanctity of their blessed buildings, he said.
There was a concern about the slippery slope where VAD safeguards could be weakened over time, with euthanasia becoming a cost-effective way to dealing with terminally ill patients or broadened to include people who weren’t terminal.
“It’s not just giving someone help with their pain, it’s a culture of accompaniment that’s required by palliative care,” he said.
“It’s surrounding someone with true care, compassion, love, with the opportunity to receive pain relief. Most pain can be dealt with, that’s a fact.”
When asked about terminally ill patients whose condition couldn’t be helped by pain relief, such as Townsville’s Owen Burdock, the bishop said his circumstances were “truly dreadful”.
“I grapple with suffering, we all do. (But) it’s impossible for a Catholic bishop or any person who professes the
Catholic faith to in any way condone VAD,” he said. “I know that that view is not popular and can be seen as not compassionate, but I am a compassionate man, people who know me know that I am, but I cannot go down that path because we believe that there is another way.”