Voluntary assisted dying: Fire has gone out of debate over Qld laws
The politics around voluntary assisted dying laws have somewhat dissipated as they draw closer to reality, writes Jessica Marszalek.
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A political football for years, voluntary assisted dying laws have seen the politics somewhat dissipate as their proponents finally near their goal.
It was back in July 2017 that the push hit the headlines when Queensland Labor officially voted to put the introduction of voluntary assisted dying laws for the terminally ill on its policy platform.
With the policy pushed by Labor’s dominant Left faction, one member of the Right complained it would derail the upcoming campaign and be “an albatross around the neck of the ALP”.
Proponents were frustrated at the slow pace of their campaign, with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk waiting until September 2018 to finally announce a parliamentary inquiry into voluntary euthanasia and end-of-life care.
Their push to have laws considered by the last Parliament didn’t happen, with the convenient excuse that COVID-19 prevented it.
Then Palaszczuk shocked many when she went on the front foot during the election campaign and announced she would introduce voluntary assisted dying laws to “provide comfort and dignity”, citing the recent loss of her beloved grandmother.
But it also provided a headache for the LNP, which has never supported voluntary assisted dying (though former premier Campbell Newman became a convert in 2019 after losing his mother to Alzheimer’s disease).
The debate so far hasn’t had the fire that was present three years ago when abortion laws were passed with the support of three Liberal National MPs, who faced intense internal pressure over their decisions.
The personal plea by popular Labor MP Duncan Pegg as he announced his resignation last month due to cancer resonated with many.
But with the outcome of September’s vote still unclear, there’s room for more politics yet.
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Originally published as Voluntary assisted dying: Fire has gone out of debate over Qld laws
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