SA Euthanasia Bill on track to pass according to poll of MPs

Only three MPs say they will vote against South Australia’s euthanasia Bill — but many remain undecided according to an exclusive poll.

A historic Bill that would legalise voluntary euthanasia in South Australia is set to pass the Lower House, an exclusive Advertiser poll can reveal.

A survey of all Lower House MPs, excluding speaker Josh Teague, found 23 were committed to voting in support of the Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) Bill, due to be debated in coming weeks.

Just one out of 14 “undecided” MPs would need to vote in favour of the Bill to form a majority and pass the legislation.

Those undecided included Steve Murray, Tim Whetstone and Dana Wortley, who all indicated they were likely to support the legislation, but were waiting to see the final version of the Bill.

Ms Wortley, who voted in favour of the last euthanasia Bill that was narrowly defeated in 2016, told The Advertiser: “I’m likely to support it, but there’s a couple of amendments that I would be very keen to consider.”

Labor MP Kyam Maher. Picture: David Mariuz

Mr Whetstone, who voted against the 2016 Bill, believed the current version had more safeguards in place. “I have just experienced my father’s passing, which wasn’t great, and I guess that’s why I’m considering to support it,” he said.

Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas is understood to be undecided on the Bill.

Just three MPs – Tom Koutsantonis, Michael Brown and Adrian Pederick – said they would vote against it.

Police Minister Vincent Tarzia, Environment Minister David Speirs and Stephan Knoll did not comment when contacted by The Advertiser.

The trio voted against the 2016 Bill, which was defeated with former speaker Michael Atkinson’s casting vote.

Transport Minister Corey Wingard also did not respond to The Advertiser, but had supported the previous Bill.

The current piece of proposed legislation, introduced by Labor MLC Kyam Maher, is the 17th Bill to be introduced in parliament. For the first time in the state’s history, proposed euthanasia laws passed a chamber of parliament after the Upper House voted 14-7 in favour on Wednesday night.

The Bill proposes access to assisted dying for people living in SA for at least a year, who are aged 18 or older and diagnosed with an incurable disease, illness or medical condition that is advanced, progressive and is expected to cause death within weeks or months. The Advertiser understands the government intends to debate the Bill during the last week of May.

As MPs contemplate their positions, Archbishop of Adelaide Patrick O’Regan, pictured, was forthright in urging the Catholic community to lobby their local MPs to vote against it.

Euthanasia Bill ‘reckless’ says top Catholic

The Archbishop of Adelaide is urging the Catholic community of South Australia to lobby their local MPs to vote against the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill, saying it enshrines the idea that some human lives are not worth living and can be ended with the blessing of the state.

Bishop Patrick O’Regan has also raised concerns about what he said was a lack of consultation on the legislation.

It came after the Upper House passed the Bill on Wednesday night. It must now be approved by the Lower House.

“Most places in the world have not legalised assisted suicide; to rush into such a scheme in South Australia simply because it is similar to what was introduced in Victoria would seem to be reckless to say the least,” Bishop O’Regan said.

“As I have said previously, no-one wants to see people suffer unnecessarily at any time, especially at the end of life, but the compassionate way to achieve this is through high quality, well-resourced palliative care.”

Bishop O’Regan said assisted suicide “undermines the fundamental principle of the equal worth of all human individuals by legally enshrining the idea that some human lives are not worth living”.

The Archbishop of Adelaide Patrick O'Regan.

“It legally enshrines the idea that these ‘lives-not-worth-living’ can be directly and intentionally ended with the aid and ‘blessing’ of the State,” he said.

Bishop O’Regan said this idea “puts vulnerable people at risk of coercion and elder abuse”.

He also said the Bill had not been widely consulted on and members of the medical profession and palliative care specialists had expressed concerns about the impact of the legislation on vulnerable people and Catholic healthcare providers.

“I urge you to contact your local MP to express your opposition to this bill and remind them of their duty to weigh the long-term social and institutional ramifications of this law,” Bishop O’Regan said.

He also said it was “extremely disappointing” that Premier Steven Marshall had decided to progress the bill through the Lower House immediately.

Mr Marshall, who supports the Bill, on Thursday said the community expected parliament to act quickly and decisively on the issue and therefore he would be allocating Government Business time to debate the issue.

This means the proposed legislation could be debated in the Lower House as soon as Tuesday.

The Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill would make it legal for South Australians to access assisted dying, or voluntary euthanasia.

The option would be available to people over the age of 18, who have lived in SA for at least a year and had been diagnosed with an incurable disease, illness or medical condition that is advanced, progressive and which is expected to cause death within weeks or months.

Their condition much also be causing suffering that cannot be relieved.

The legislation includes 68 safeguards that govern how euthanasia could be accessed and administered.

The bill was passed by the Upper House this week.

It marked the furthest a Bill to legalise assisted dying has progressed in State Parliament after the failure of 16 pieces of law reform over the past 25 years.