SW News:

As the attempts to legalize euthanasia are gaining momentum in New South Wales, Christian believers and people of goodwill in the Australian state have been urged to sign an online petition against the implementation of the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2021. 

The bill is currently before the NSW Upper House, which will be debated and voted on following a report from the Legislative Council Committee that is scheduled for next week. It was lawmaker Greg Donnelly who initiated the e-petition to prevent the bill from becoming law. 

The e-petition posted on the Parliament website reads, “A cornerstone of our legal system is that all human life has inherent value and must be treated with dignity and respect. Accordingly, the petitioners request that the House unanimously oppose the Bill, in any form, and reject it.” 

Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP has urged the faithful to voice their opposition by joining the petition. Auxiliary Bishop Richard Umbers of Sydney, a member of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Commission for Family, Life, and Public Engagement, encouraged people to sign and circulate the petition. Alongside, Bishop Vincent Long OFM of Parramatta, who supported the campaign, urged Catholics to sign the petition and share it with others. 

New South Wales is the only Australian State that hasn’t allowed terminally-ill people suffering excruciating pain to undergo the process of voluntary assisted dying, which is, however, under reversal. In October last year, MP Alex Greenwich introduced the Bill in the NSW Legislative Assembly. The Lower House enacted the Bill in November 2021, with members voting 52 to 32 in favor of a conscience vote. Under the current Bill, any terminally ill patient can request voluntary aided dying from a specialist doctor, who will then submit it to the Voluntary Assisted Dying Board for review before it can be carried out. 

Recently, speaking at his Wednesday general audience on February 9, Pope Francis reiterated the need to care for the elderly. He praised palliative care aimed at helping terminally ill patients live as comfortably and humanely as possible.