Human Rights Commission wants Australia to allow children to request assisted death
Australia is new Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill of 2023 is drawn the attention of those who want to see assisted dying opened up to under-18s. The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Human Rights Commission submitted an inquiry to the Voluntary Assisted Death (VAD) Committee regarding changes made last year.
The Commission is six pages long questioning address four areas where they think the new bill “may fall short.”
Most notably, the ACT Commission notes that the bill does not make this type of suicide available to minors under the age of 18. It states that “human rights principles require due consideration for the rights of children and young people, including their right to access health care without discrimination and their right to have their perspective.” The members feel that if the minor meets all the requirements of the bill and “show up too[s] maturity” in making the decision, that the child should be allowed to request voluntary assisted death.
Their second critique suggests that people who are “incapacitated to communicate” or who have lost the ability to make this decision should not be disqualified from seeking assisted suicide. Instead, they feel that if that person made a written request for VAD when they still had the capacity to do so, then that request should be acted upon when that person becomes incapacitated. They acknowledged “major ethical issues” with this idea but urged the VAD committee to consider it once the bill has been in place for three years – for the sake of “human rights.”
READ: Assisted dying in the Australian state of Queensland reached shocking numbers in the first six months of the law
Third, the ACT Commission criticizes the number of safeguards put in place to restrict eligibility for VAD to only those who qualify and those who obtain witnesses, approval from care providers, submit formal and final request, and submit to a final assessment by their practitioner before proceeding with their suicide. It also points out that the number of people who need to be involved in the process is too great: the person making the request, someone who signs for those who cannot sign for themselves, a health practitioner, and two witnesses (none of whom are can be a beneficiary in any manner of the person’s death). It says, “a procedure whose purpose is to facilitate access to VAD to help individuals end their lives with dignity, and to ensure that intolerable suffering should not be prolonged, should be avoided unnecessary delays which may defeat its purpose.”
And finally, the Commission objects to the five-day limit available for requesting a review of a denied VAD request. As such, five days is too short a time for someone who is seriously ill or suffering intolerably to “learn about their review rights and act on them.” They suggest that the normal 28-day period is allowed in these cases.
All this was requested under the guise of human rights and the catchphrase “death with dignity.” Allowing children to request legal suicide is a risky proposition given that decision-making skills are imperfect. develop in people into their early twenties. Minors may also be more easily influenced or coerced by the decisions of caregivers and parents, peer groups, and social media — all of which may present voluntary assisted suicide as the best solution to their pain.
In reality, these efforts to expand the scope of assisted dying are likely to follow in Canada footfinally restricting life-sustaining and comforting health care to distressed patients.
The DOJ jailed a pro-life grandmother this Christmas for protesting the killing of preborn children. Please take 30 seconds to TELL CONGRESS: STOP DOJ FROM TARGETING PRO-LIFE AMERICANS.
