"The Euthanasia Debate" at the Sydney Town Hall: Reflections of a palliative care nurse.

Abstract

On August 13, 2015, I attended “The Euthanasia Debate” between two renowned bioethicists, Prof. Peter Singer and Sydney’s Catholic Archbishop Anthony Fisher, O.P., on the question: “Should voluntary euthanasia be legalized?” Conceived by a student member of the Catholic Society of St. Peter, the event was held in the Sydney Town Hall after being transferred from the original University of Sydney venue when demand for tickets greatly exceeded the organizers’ expectations. This was my first time in the Sydney Town Hall, and it is beautiful. Upon entering I found the grand Victorian lobby chandelier lit and filled with people talking animatedly. Perhaps because my primary focus is palliative care for older people, I was initially surprised to see many attendees aged in their early twenties. A woman, who moved through the crowd as though on a mission, looked familiar to me and later I remembered meeting her at the bedside of her mother who had advanced cancer and refractory pain. There also was a well-known television producer and interviewer, observant and thoughtful looking as he wandered among the people. Best of all in my eyes was the vision of the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, who are active in Catholic youth education and formation in Sydney, entering the lobby under a high archway as though floating in their long, white habits. My motivation to attend the debate was to learn how to better express the truth about euthanasia, in writing and conversations with patients, families, and the health carers I work with and teach. I have always known euthanasia to be morally wrong and a flawed argument for the relief of suffering, but since returning to the Church and striving to look always upon the life, passion, and resurrection of Christ, I have come to understand this even more profoundly. With legislation supporting euthanasia in different parts of the world, those threatening elsewhere, and a shift towards construal of euthanasia as a compassionate act in societal and professional dialogue in Australia, there is urgency to my learning. It is no longer enough to simply know in my heart why euthanasia is wrong and ineffective for the relief of suffering, there is the need to become capable of helping others think about, talk through, and develop an informed understanding of these issues, The Linacre Quarterly 83 (1) 2016, 3–5