23 September 2020
New York’s chief medical examiner Charles Hirsch, investigating the deaths of office workers who jumped from the Twin Towers on 9/11, understood the distinction between suicide and a rational decision to end suffering, according to voluntary assisted dying advocate Go Gentle Australia.
Faced with a terrible choice – a slow, agonising, horrific death by fire, or a quick death by jumping – many office workers chose to jump. Seeing this as a rational choice to avoid needless suffering, Hirsch refused to classify their deaths as ‘suicides’.
The same can be said for voluntary assisted dying (VAD) as a rational choice.
“That’s a perfect example,’’ says Registered Nurse Susie Byrne, convenor of the South Australian Nurses Supporting Choices in Dying and organiser of a voluntary assisted dying rally on the steps of the SA Parliament today.
Ms Byrne and other VAD supporters, including ANMF (SA Branch) members, stood on the steps of Parliament in the bitter chill for up to four hours, hoping to promote the introduction and passage of a Bill before Parliament that would bring us in line with Victoria and WA in allowing the terminally ill the right to end their suffering through voluntary assisted dying.
The rally had official approval after meeting COVID criteria and also attracted the interest of local pollies Tammy Franks, Mark Parnell, Leon Bignell, Kyam Maher, Nat Cook, Susan Close, Blair Boyer and Joe Szakacs, who all dropped by to say hello.
On the flipside, the pro-VAD ensemble was also greeted with cries of “REPENT!’’ from anti-abortion activists who were at Parliament hoping to see the demise of a Bill that aims to create safe access zones by preventing protesting within 150m of an abortion clinic.
However, the Bill easily passed the Lower House 34 votes to nine and is now set for debate in the Upper House. The Bill was moved by Nat Cook to prevent women seeking an abortion from being harassed or intimidated.
Environment Minister David Speirs tried to amend the Bill to allow silent prayer to take place within the safe access zone, but that was shot down.
Even members of the public who happened to be passing by Parliament occasionally joined in the VAD rally … not surprising really, given polls repeatedly show overwhelming public support for VAD.
“A lot of the opposition we have found over the years comes from a religious standpoint, from a Christian standpoint, which is quite ironic really because in the last Vote Compass, 2019, 75 per cent of Christians (Catholics and Protestants) supported VAD,’’ Ms Byrne said.
“So, it seems to be the church hierarchy, most commonly the Catholic conservative right are the ones who still like to dictate to their congregations about how they should live their lives.
“When WA comes on line in the middle of next year (when VAD laws take effect) we’ll have one in three Australians who can access voluntary assisted dying … our neighbours on either side of us. Why does South Australia not have these laws.’’
Ms Byrne says she has previously been asked by terminally ill patients to end their torment. “I’ve been asked before, personally and professionally. I have been asked ‘how much longer is it going to take, can’t you do anything to make it quicker for me?’. Obviously I couldn’t.
“Doctors aren’t at the bedside in the same way that nurses are, and we get to know the patient, we get to know their families, their children … and the suffering the family has to endure as well as the patient is probably equally as hard,’’ she said.
“It’s so pleasing to hear that Tasmania has just passed the second reading, the (VAD) Bill in Tasmania. Incidentally the Uniting Church in Tasmania have given a supportive submission to the Tasmanian Parliament.
“I do like to think it’s a case of WHEN voluntary assisted dying becomes law, I don’t think it’s a question of IF we have it. I think in South Australia it will be WHEN it becomes law.’’