NSW:Euthanasia bill will harm NT indigenous health: priest, prof

AAP General News (Australia)
04-16-2008
NSW:Euthanasia bill will harm NT indigenous health: priest, prof

SYDNEY, April 16 AAP - Reintroducing voluntary euthanasia laws in the Northern Territory
would undermine efforts to improve health in remote indigenous communities, a priest and
law professor has told a Senate committee.

In February this year, Greens leader Bob Brown introduced a private member's bill seeking
to restore euthanasia rights in the NT, and pave the way for its introduction in the Australian
Capital Territory.

The NT became the first jurisdiction in the country to pass right-to-die laws in 1996,
but they were controversially overturned nine months later by the Commonwealth.

Addressing a Senate committee hearing on the bill in Sydney today, Frank Brennan, a
Jesuit priest and a law professor from the Australian Catholic University, said reinstating
the NT laws would be an "irresponsible legislative action".

Legalising euthanasia in the NT would terrify people in remote indigenous communities
who were already fearful of western medical techniques, he said.

"Aboriginal people will be afraid to go to hospital if doctors have the power to euthanase,"

he said.

"Here we are as a nation ... saying we want to reduce the gap in life expectancy.

"No one could argue that we would be reducing the gap in life expectancy for Aboriginal
Australians in the Northern Territory by introducing euthanasia laws, which would be instilling
a fear to approach hospitals."

This was the "added burden" which existed in the NT, he said, adding it was a burden
that needed to be addressed before voluntary euthanasia was reintroduced.

Fr Brennan's comments echoed those of Dr David Gawler from the Darwin Christian Ministers
Association, who spoke to the committee at its meeting in Darwin on Monday.

Aborigines, who did not believe in assisted suicide, were already scared of doctors
and reluctant to access medical services, Dr Gawler said.

But Dr David Leaf, a GP from country NSW, disputed Fr Brennan's claim, saying better
education would dispel such fears.

"Clearly, that is just an education issue and a cultural and a language issue," he
told the committee.

"I don't think that should stop us from pursuing this course.

"It needs to be explained to all patients that voluntary euthanasia is voluntary, bar no one."

Dr Leaf argued for euthanasia, saying he, and many of his patients, just wanted the option.

"One of the options I would like to have as doctor is the option to offer them euthanasia,"

he said.

"I would be comfortable to have that to offer my patients, should they so desire after
sufficient screening, sufficient counselling.

"Many of these patients will say to you that death is not the worst option."

ACT Attorney-General Simon Corbell also backed the legislative change, telling the
committee via teleconference that the legislation repealing the NT law was a "direct attack"

on the territory's rights.

The Howard government bill overturned the NT euthanasia laws and included a clause
preventing the territories from acting on the issue in the future.

"The ACT supports the (Brown) bill because the ACT believes the bill will enable the
people of the territory to determine their own path in relation to this issue," he said.

"While the ACT government will not necessarily move to make laws to legalise euthanasia,
the issue at stake is the constitutional right of this government to make laws for the
governance of the people of the Australian Capital Territory."

AAP ab/hn/ldj/cdh

KEYWORD: DIE BRENNAN

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