Push to allow religious facilities to deny euthanasia in SA in legislative amendment

A proposed change to SA’s euthanasia Bill would allow religious institutions, such as hospitals and aged-care facilities, to deny patients euthanasia if they request it.

Allowing South Australian religious hospitals and aged-care facilities the right to deny euthanasia on their premises is the first submitted amendment aiming to modify proposed laws.

It’s a deal clincher for the amendment’s author, Liberal MP Steve Murray, who said he won’t support the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill (VAD) without the change, due to be submitted on Friday.

The VAD Bill, due for second reading in state parliament on Wednesday, comes as Queensland flags its intent to become the fifth state to introduce similar laws next week.

Mr Murray said SA entities, such as religious hospitals and aged-care facilities, should be protected from the law should they conscientiously object to voluntary assisted dying.

He said the protection would require objecting entities to make it known in advance that they object and would affect new patients and residents once the law was passed.

The amendment also stipulates objecting entities must transfer patients or residents requesting VAD to a facility that provided it.

If supported, SA would be the first of three states providing the objecting consent exemption to entities.

“The Bill should be about choice and that should go both ways,” Mr Murray said.

Catholic Health Australia chief executive Pat Garcia said the South Australian parliament must afford SA entities the same protections as those for their employees given under the current Bill.

“We believe voluntary should mean voluntary – no person or organisation, regardless of their faith, should be forced to act against their conscience,” he said.

More amendments are expected as the Bill, likely to proceed to committee stage, progresses.

Labor MLC Kyam Maher, author of the SA Bill, said Queensland’s push for VAD laws was further evidence voluntary assisted dying was a national direction now being taken.

“It will certainly become an issue of equity for South Australians if their parliament does not support VAD law reform,” he said.

Mr Maher said conscientious objecting entities was an issue that would need to be investigated in the Queensland context.

The draft Queensland Bill, released on Tuesday, proposes a variant protection for conscientiously objecting entities.

Victorian laws operating for the past 18 months, WA laws in force from July 1 and a Tasmanian Bill passed last month do not offer objecting entities protection.

Advertiser poll of state MPs suggests the SA Bill is likely to pass.