{"id":269659,"date":"2022-06-13T14:41:29","date_gmt":"2022-06-13T19:41:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=269659"},"modified":"2022-06-12T20:15:04","modified_gmt":"2022-06-13T01:15:04","slug":"australian-doctor-assisted-suicide-palliative-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/australian-doctor-assisted-suicide-palliative-care\/","title":{"rendered":"Australian doctor warns push for assisted suicide will keep people from seeking palliative care"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

As Australia continues its widespread expansion of legalized assisted suicide, one doctor is warning that the push will deter terminally ill people from seeking palliative care.<\/p>\n

Dr. Maria Cigolini, Clinical Director of Palliative Medicine at Sydney\u2019s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, explained that as more hospice and elder care organizations offer voluntary assisted dying (VAD), more people will avoid seeking the treatment they need for fear that they may be coerced into dying.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis will enhance that disinformation and fear of authority, especially in migrant groups and homeless people,\u201d she said, according to Eternity News<\/a>. \u201cPotentially, Aboriginal people will avoid healthcare, as we saw in the Northern Territory in the brief time VAD was offered there.\u201d<\/p>\n

She explained that the negative impact of forcing elder care and palliative care units to offer VAD has a negative impact that affects everyone.\u00a0\u201cIn some hospitals in Victoria, even though you can conscientiously object, there is no protection for that,” she said. “It may create a situation where somebody is being killed in a palliative care unit and most of the staff will be expected to cope with that situation and prepare everybody as if nothing is happening. The moral distress that will create, and the idea that people may be worried that they may be next; the safety of the care environment may be compromised and create fears and distress in nurses, doctors and patients and residents themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ:\u00a0Pope Francis calls for better palliative care, not assisted suicide: \u2018Life is a right, not death\u2019<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Dr. Cigolini pointed to the recent legalization<\/a> of assisted suicide in New South Wales, noting that it passed without adequate funding for palliative care.\u00a0\u201cSo in terms of the impact, it is severe because even though it\u2019s touted as a choice, it really means for a lot of people there is no choice \u2013 they have VAD but not the alternative of the high standard of care approach,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

She also noted that people often change their minds about choosing assisted suicide, especially when efforts are made to ensure they are no longer lonely or depressed. These findings have been echoed elsewhere \u2014 a\u00a0study<\/a> from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing\u00a0found that 72% of people who wished to die changed their minds after their feelings of depression and loneliness improved.<\/p>\n

Dr. Cigolini also called out the New South Wales law as “bad legislation,” pointing out that a doctor could suggest VAD to a patient, which would undermine any therapeutic palliative work taking place. \u201cThe preamble of the bill says there should be no undue influence, but the way the process is framed creates undue influence,” she explained. “They don\u2019t have to offer palliative care or other care within the bill, so it\u2019s likely to just allow a fostering of a sense of hopelessness and depression going undiagnosed. So it\u2019s quite a sadness.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike\u201d Live Action News on Facebook<\/a> for more pro-life news and commentary!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As Australia continues its widespread expansion of legalized assisted suicide, one doctor is warning that the push will deter terminally ill people from seeking palliative care. Dr. Maria Cigolini, Clinical Director of Palliative Medicine at Sydney\u2019s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, explained that as more hospice and elder care organizations offer voluntary assisted dying (VAD), more […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":607,"featured_media":258877,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[5,4,3473],"tags":[1303,964,17760,498,10324,17759,10922],"yoast_head":"\nAustralian doctor warns push for assisted suicide will keep people from seeking palliative care<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As Australia continues expansion of legalized assisted suicide, one doctor warns the push will deter terminally ill people from seeking palliative care.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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