Euthanasia Response
CMDFA Response to Euthanasia
According to the Australian Medical Association, “Euthanasia is the act of deliberately ending the life of a patient for the purpose of ending intolerable pain or suffering”. Physician-assisted suicide (PAS) occurs “where the assistance of the medical practitioner is intentionally directed at enabling an individual to end his or her own life” and usually this involves the provision of a prescription.
Moral opposition to both euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide has been a feature of both the Hippocratic and the Judeo-Christian tradition from earliest times. This is particularly striking in view of the commitment of both traditions to the relief of suffering and care of the dying. We acknowledge the power of the arguments for both practices based on compassion, but believe that even more powerful counter-arguments lead us as Christians and doctors to continue to oppose their legalisation.
Euthanasia a CMDFA Perspective
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In response to the intention of a member of the Tasmanian Parliament to introduce a bill Private Members Bill in the upper house which proposes the introduction of voluntary assisted dying. CMDFA wrote to the Tasmanian Premier requesting a rigorous Parliamentary enquiry process which has been the practice in other States.
We are awaiting to be informed of the response to this letter which is attached
