A Roman Catholic bioethicist (is there any other brand of bioethicist?) was quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald of 12 August 2018 thus: that she and nine other international counterparts were arguing that “assisted suicide had not achieved its aims of relieving pain and suffering … “
• Could the dead continue to feel pain?
• The matter under discussion is ‘voluntary assisted dying’ or ‘legislated assisted dying’
• But the journalist and the bioethicist refer to suicide, which is illegal (but why is it illegal?)
• Traditionally, those opposed to voluntary euthanasia have referred to the process as ‘killing’
• Then there was the claim that allowing voluntary euthanasia for humans (euthanasia for pets being acceptable) would lead to a societal slippery slope ; that thereby senior citizens could (would?) be killed by their clansmen for material gain
• By what right do theologians and bioethicists of a single Christian church interfere in the lives of multicultural fellow-citizens whose paths to God are equally viable?
• Australia is officially non-sectarian – is it in practice?
• THE CORE ISSUE: HOW COULD THEOLOGY OVER-RIDE COMPASSION for those suffering unalleviated and enduring pain, in spite of palliative care?
• How could a Christian (or anyone else) deny compassion to a fellow-human co-created by God?
RAJA ARASA RATNAM 