Anglican Church elder ‘agnostic’ on voluntary dying law

A senior Anglican Church figure has declared himself to be ‘agnostic’ on voluntary euthanasia and said he would not rule out using a proposed new law in Queensland to end his own life.

Very Reverend Peter Catt, dean of St John’s Anglican Church in Brisbane. Picture: Annette Dew

A senior Anglican Church figure has declared himself to be “agnostic” on voluntary euthanasia and said he would not rule out using a proposed new law in Queensland to end his own life.

Speaking ahead of launching a book on the right to die at state parliament, the Very Reverend Peter Catt, dean of St John’s Anglican Church in Brisbane, said he could see both sides of the argument on voluntary assisted dying, despite strong opposition to it from religious leaders.

The event on Wednesday night was set to bring together formerly bitter political rivals Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and the man she defeated in 2015, Campbell Newman, both of whom support VAD. The legislation, due to be passed in Queensland within months, will make it the fourth state after Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania to embrace the reform.

Dr Catt, 60, said being agnostic did not make him an advocate of voluntary euthanasia for the terminally ill. “I can see the arguments on both sides of the debate and I think there is a middle ground where people like me, who are still exploring the issue, can declare we haven’t made our mind up and we are agnostic, that we are still trying to sort it out,” he told The Australian.

Asked whether he would ever consider making use of VAD, Dr Catt said: “I think that is why I am agnostic, I have no idea. I am fit, I am healthy, I haven’t had to face that … I really don’t know. I haven’t thought about it enough to have a mind about it.”

Ms Palaszczuk is waiting on advice from the Queensland Law Reform Commission on the form of the legislation which is likely to go before the single-chamber parliament by mid-year.

While subject to a conscience vote, the measure is expected to pass on the numbers of Labor MPs who overwhelmingly support VAD, surveys show. Two Greens MPs and independent MP Sandy Bolton will also back the legislation, alongside a likely small number of splitters from the Liberal National Party.

Dr Catt’s position is at odds with that of former Anglican primate of Australia and serving Archbishop of Brisbane Phillip Aspinall, who has joined other church leaders and the heads of Jewish and Islamic faith communities in condemning the proposed law.

They signed a joint statement warning that assisting dying was “not dying well”.

Dr Aspinall also voiced concern to a Queensland parliamentary inquiry that the scope of VAD widened each time another state got involved, evidence of a “slippery slope in this country”.

Dr Catt insisted his open mind was not inconsistent with the church leaders’ position. “I am just saying let’s talk,” he said. “When you have an inquiry, people have to support a position, so they did. That’s good and proper and they do represent the current view of the church. I am not contradicting that. I am just inviting people into another … space to have the conversation.”

The novel, A Beautiful Sunset, has been penned by veteran euthanasia activist and National Seniors Association founder Everald Compton, 89.

A Uniting Church elder, Mr Compton said he would lobby MPs from all parties to back the VAD legislation because it was important it passed decisively. “We need to show that the community is not divided, so it does not look like this got through on a handful of votes,” he said. “That will make it easier to implement.”