The Townsville Bulletin published a Letter to the Editor from Townsville Catholic Bishop Timothy Harris on 2.6.2021.
I responded with the following letter to editor, which has not been published by the Bulletin.
A Christian response to Catholic Bishop Harris “VAD Laws need rethink”, 2.6.2021
Bishop Harris states: VAD “laws will result in more deaths”. Fact: these patients are already dying – there will not be any more deaths, just less horrific suffering as that life ends.
Fact: While there will always be a place for good palliative care – no amount of money or advancements will ever provide the required level of relief of all suffering.
Harris quotes Paul Keating against VAD Choice! Fact: What on earth are Keating’s qualifications to allow him to pontificate on how other Australians should suffer and die?
Harris states: “society will never be the same again”. I imagine a similar remark was made at the end of the Catholic Inquisition, with the abolition of slavery and when women were allowed to have pain relief during childbirth! Hopefully we can say the same when there are no longer any paedophile priests?
Fact: A significant majority of Australians have stopped, have thought rationally, and decided that a change in our society is needed to allow the option to choose a Voluntary Assisted Death.
Bishop Harris is welcome to maintain his medieval outlook on dying but how dare he try to impose his views on all other Australians, including a majority of Christians.
Ian Wood National Spokesperson for Christians Supporting Choice for VAD Mittagong NSW
Here is the Bishop’s letter that I was responding to …….. Continue reading