“The Queensland Parliament Health Committee’s recommendation that assisted suicide legislation be enacted is reckless and dangerous, perhaps even more so now that we are in the midst of a pandemic,” Cherish Life president Dr Donna Purcell said.

“The Queensland Government needs to be fully focused on saving lives, not taking them,

“The Queensland Health Committee’s End-of-Life Inquiry scandalously failed to address adequately the real end-of-life issue facing Queenslanders, which is the gross under-resourcing of palliative care services. 

“Queensland needs at least an extra $150 million per year in palliative care funding, as we only have 0.7 palliative care specialists per 100,000 population, while the need is for almost triple that number.  

“Some Queenslanders, particularly those in regional and remote communities, are suffering needlessly because of extremely poor resource allocation by this government, and it seems this is to continue.  

“No Queenslanders should be forced to choose euthanasia because they cannot get access to palliative care which would ease their pain.

“Instead of additional funding for palliative care, the four Labor/Greens  members of the Health Committee recommended assisted suicide as the end-of-life care ‘cure’, rejecting  the expert opinion of the vast majority of doctors, including the Australian Medical Association and World Medical Association, who are opposed to euthanasia because it is killing, not health care. 

“It is obvious that the committee’s recommendation to legalise euthanasia was a pre-determined outcome, with the majority of the committee taking a short cut and ignoring proper process by recommending a draft Bill put up by euthanasia advocates rather than requesting the Queensland Law Reform Commission to design the legislation.

“In this euthanasia Bill recommended by the Health Committee, there is no requirement that patients requesting euthanasia be seen by a specialist in their disease, or by a palliative care specialist to ensure they are receiving adequate pain relief, or by a psychiatrist to ensure they are not suffering depression. 

“There are no safeguards against wrongful deaths, caused by wrong diagnosis, wrong prognosis, patients being unaware of available treatment or having no access to palliative care, or coercion and elder abuse. 

“The misnomer “assisted dying” hides what euthanasia really is - intentional killing by lethal injection administered by doctors, or doctors providing poison for the patient to take.

“Doctors should kill the pain, not the patient.”

“Euthanasia is a social construct, not health care..." Dr Greg Parker, - Director Metro South Palliative Care Services

Legalising euthanasia corrupts the role of doctor by changing it from healer to killer. The devastation it would cause to medicine is unfathomable and far-reaching.

Euthanasia it is social construct built upon a fear of suffering, extreme libertarian thinking and economic rationalism - which has the crude premise: it’s cheaper to give a sick, elderly or disabled person a lethal injection or two poisonous pills than to pay for months or years of support. Euthanasia’s origins are clearly sinister and evil... 

The euthanasia lobby builds its case by showcasing agonising death stories, and the media laps it up. What the media never showcases are the thousands of Queenslanders who, although having terminal illness, experience peaceful and painless deaths with good palliative support. Nor does the media adequately address the major palliative care deficit in Queensland which is most experienced in the regions. Palliative care specialist Professor Philip Good recently stated on ABC radio that Queensland should have the equivalent of two palliative specialists for every 100,000 people, but we have only 0.7.

And what we almost never heard about is growing catalogue of horrendous euthanasia stories from abroad, here are just a few:

• When assisted suicide was legalised in Belgium and the Netherlands, they were meant for people in unbearable suffering from terminal illnesses like cancer, and euthanasia was to be provided with careful oversight plus prolonged close consultation between patient and doctor. However, doctors have now been killing patients they have hardly known or examined, many of whom have mental health issues like depression, anorexia or autism/Aspergers, not terminal illnesses. In 2012, 42 people with dementia and 13 with psychiatric issues were medically terminated in the Netherlands. A right-to-die group organised 30 mobile teams to make house calls to people who wanted to die but whose family doctors were unwilling to participate. One of the people killed by this team was a 63-year-old man with no family or friends, who was afraid of a lonely life after retirement. Another was a 54-year-old woman with a pathological fear of germs, who found her obsession with cleanliness debilitating. 
• A Belgian was euthanised (i.e. killed) in 2013 after she became suicidal, claiming a sex change operation to turn her into a man had turned her into a “monster”.
• On 19 April 2012, 64-year-old retired schoolteacher Godelieva De Troyer received a lethal injection at a Brussels hospital. She had no incurable illness or chronic pain. It was simply chronic depression. Her family was not informed in advance; her son Tom Mortier only discovered this when he was asked to deal with paperwork the following day.
• Netherlands: A 74-year-old woman who was suffering dementia grew violent in a nursing home away from her family. Her gerontologist noted: “Only when her family was with her did the patient find life acceptable.” A few weeks after she entered the home, her gerontologist and a consulting psychiatrist agreed that she was suffering intolerably and met the requirements for euthanasia, although she had never submitted a formal request to die. Her husband and daughter agreed.
• 29-year-old Dutchwoman Aurelia Brouwers, who suffered intense depression since she was 12, coupled with repeated self-harm, anxiety, psychoses and hearing voices, was allowed to be euthanised at the Levenseindekliniek. She had been in prison (for arson) for over 2 years without therapy.
• A man in his 30s whose only diagnosis was autism became one of 110 people to be euthanized for mental disorders in the Netherlands between 2011 and 2014.
• In Belgium, 38-year-old Tine Nys was killed just for having Aspergers. The doctor fumbled with the needle and asked her parents to help hold it in place while he administered the lethal injection. He then asked them to use a stethoscope to confirm their daughter's heart had stopped.
• In one 2017 Belgian case, a man in late middle-age with dementia signed an advanced directive for euthanasia when his condition became worse. His doctor recounted: “As his mind faltered, however, so did his resolve – which did not please his wife, who became an evangelist for her husband’s death. He must have changed his mind 20 times. I saw the pressure she was applying.” The doctor tried to protect her patient, but while she was away, her colleague euthanised him.

The Australian pro-life lobby is appalled that Philip Nitschke, sometimes referred to as "Dr Death", is allowed to travel around Australia spruiking his latest killing machine, the Sarco. We call on the state and federal governments to restrict his activities so he can't sell suicide.

"Philip Nitschke sells suicide. His latest killing device the Sarco, which can be replicated with a 3D printer, is extremely dangerous. Just today Nitschke was on the Gold Coast freely showing off the Sarco. How and why is this even allowed, particularly in a state where assisted suicide is illegal and it is an offence to encourage anyone to suicide?" Ms Teeshan Johnson, executive director of Cherish Life Queensland said.

"The pro-life movement of Australia urgently calls on the Queensland Government and the Federal Government to restrict Nitschke's activities while he is in Australia so he can not sell or promote suicide in any way.

"Australia has a devastating suicide problem, and promoting suicide as Nitschke does, is extremely dangerous and counter-productive to suicide prevention programs.

"Nitschke has no medical registration in Australia (he burned his registration some years ago in protest to restrictions the AMA put on him so he couldn't promote suicide) and his livelihood is built on selling suicide. The trail of suicide and heartbreak behind him is well documented. What he promotes is contrary to the law and good medical practice. Nitschke's suicide promoting activities must be shut down urgently.

“It’s tragic that once again doctor-assisted suicide is legal in part of Australia, and we will strongly contend against any push for similar assisted-killing laws here,” Cherish Life Queensland president, Dr Donna Purcell said today.

“Victoria’s so-called Voluntary Assisted Dying laws have the pretence of being safe, with 68 apparent safeguards – but in reality there is no protection from wrongful deaths. The VAD law is extremely dangerous.

“The requirement for a two doctor approval is farcical, as two General Practitioners, neither one of whom needs to be the patients’ regular GP, can sign-off on VAD. There is no requirement for either of the doctors to be a specialist in the area of the patient’s suffering (e.g. an oncologist for cancer patients), and there is no requirement for the patient to be seen by a psychiatrist – which is crucial. Proper mental health checks are extremely important as depression can be a very big problem amongst the elderly, terminally ill and disabled – and can lead to strong feelings of hopelessness and wanting to die.

“Also, there is no requirement for the patient to first consult with a palliative care specialist to be informed of what pain relief can be offered.

“Of particular concern is that the only recommendation which came out of the Victorian End of Life Inquiry that has been fully enacted was the legalisation of VAD. The recommendation to boostthe palliative care budget was effectively ignored. The Victorian overall annual palliative care budget of around $120 millionhas not been increased in the last four years – in real terms  it has actually decreased by 4% in this period.

“The Queensland Parliament is conducting a similar end-of life-inquiry with VAD in the mix. One of the most startling things that has come of this inquiry so far  is that Queensland has a terrible shortage of palliative care specialists, particularly in the regions. 

“With our population there should be 92 full-time palliative care specialists, but we only have 38.4. People are suffering needlessly because of mismanagement and poor resource allocation by the Queensland Government.

“Doctor are meant to be healers not killers. Doctors should kill the pain and not the patient. Euthanasia advocates give the false impression that terminally ill patients have to suffer excruciating pain and dreadful agony. This is simply not the case, as the advanced palliative care available today means that every Australian can have the hope of a tolerable dying process.

“Palliative care focuses on relieving pain and keeping patients comfortable in order to allow a natural and dignified death at their appointed time. In the rare cases where the patient is not responding to painkillers palliative sedation can be applied. Good medical practice is all about facilitating natural death with dignity and peace. This is the complete opposite to intentional killing - which is exactly what VAD is,” Dr Purcell said.

Cherish Life has criticised federal Labor for slurring its federal election Put Labor Last campaign as “lies”.

See:

The Guardian,  “Labor condemns anti-abortion group's claims 'babies will die under Shorten government'”, 9 May, 2019

The Blue Mountains Gazette, “Queensland anti-abortion group targets Labor in Macquarie”, 13 May

The Feed, SBS, “The Worst of Election Material”, 25 May

Sky News, Husic points to misrepresentation of abortion policy for Labor vote loss, 30 May

SMH/ Sun-Herald, "Labor women bracing to defend party abortion platform", 2 June 2019  

“For Labor say our campaign was built on ‘baseless lies’ is a lie itself, and offensive.” Ms Teeshan Johnson, executive director of Cherish Life Queensland said.

“Our messaging and campaign was truthful.

“All our advertising (TV, radio, print & digital), which contained the same messaging as our flyers, passed teams of independent lawyers at the various media outlets, as we were able to prove every statement.

• Our campaign TV ad obtained CAD approval and was given a G rating for free-to-air TV - it  subsequently aired on Channel 7 and Channel 10 WIN,
• Our campaign radio ad played on several ARN and Grand Brothers radio stations,
• Our newspaper ads were printed in 8 different News Corp papers, and one Seven West Media paper; and
• Our digital media ads featured on News Corp platforms in Qld.

(PROOF OF MESSAGING STATEMENTS IN APPENDIX BELOW)

“Labor is evidently angry they lost the election, but this doesn’t excuse them lashing out at us. They need to take responsibility for their own policies.

“Such an extreme abortion agenda was always going to cost Labor - letting voters know the facts of a party’s radical abortion plans is part of Cherish Life’s duty as a pro-life organisation.

“If Labor want us to leave them alone they need to change their commitment to radical abortion reform. The hijacking of a once noble political party by the abortion lobby is one of Australia’s great political tragedies.” Ms Johnson said.

ENDS

Appendix: Proof of Messaging Statements

1. “More babies would die under a Bill Shorten Labor Government” and “More babies would die under Labor.”

When the Victorian Labor government passed the Abortion Reform Act (2008), which effectively legalised abortion up to birth for any reason, it led to an average annual increase of 39% increase in late-term (post 20 weeks gestation) terminations [including a full-term healthy baby of a healthy woman in 2011 (refer to table on page 162)]. It is logical that removing all restraints to abortion in other states and territories would also lead to an increase in late-term abortions.

1. “Federal Labor has an extreme late-term abortion agenda” & “Abortion would be legal until birth for any reason, around Australia.”

Catherine King MP and Tanya Plibersek MP, who crafted federal Labor’s abortion policy, are on record as saying some of the intent of Labor’s federal election 2019 abortion policy was to improve access to abortion around Australia as well as "fix" the “patchwork ofinconsistent [abortion] laws” (i.e. standardise abortion laws) across Australia. Australia’s abortion laws are different from state to state – the states/ territories with the most permissible laws being ACT followed by Victoria and Qld.  These three states have legalised late-term abortion, up to birth, for any reason. Given the two initiatives of (i) wanting to standardise abortion laws across Australia and (ii) wanting to increase abortion access around Australia, other states and territories would have been pressured to implement abortion laws / abortion access modelled on ACT’s laws or those of Victoria/Qld.

1. “Free abortions at public hospitals”

Labor made it crystal clear they would pressure states, through the threat of withholding commonwealth health funding, to fully decriminalise abortion (NSW / SA), improve access to abortion and to provide funding for “free” abortions at taxpayer-funded hospitals.

1. “More women would be harmed under Labor”

The physical and psychological risks of abortion to women are well-documented in numerous studies from around the world. Just one tragic statistic is that a woman who has had an abortion is 6 times more likely to commit suicide.

1. “If Labor wins it will be a public health disaster”

Given points 1-4, it’s clear such an extreme federal government-imposed abortion regime would have been a public health disaster, including putting extra pressure on our already busy hospitals.

More sources can be found at www.laborlast.org.au. For details on the national Put Labor Last campaign, please see our previous media release.

Thank you for being part of making history!

View the results of our national Put Labor Last campaign here

Cherish Life Queensland is overjoyed with the life-valuing outcome of the federal election.

“Labor boasted about its extreme late-term abortion policy platform at its national conference late last year. What Labor promised meant that if Bill Shorten won government, through the threat of withholding federal health funding, all legal protection from the unborn would have been removed right across Australia and taxpayer-funded public hospitals would have been forced to perform abortions on request - even late-term abortions of healthy babies of healthy mothers.

“This policy was absolutely disgraceful and abhorrent, and as advocates for the right to life and protectors of unborn human life we simply had to act, and act big,” Ms Teeshan Johnson, executive director of Cherish Life Queensland said.

“We designed a national ‘Put Labor Last’ campaign to educate Australians on Labor’s disturbing open-slather abortion mission. (Campaign details including the 25 target seats are below.)

“Our multi-faceted pro-life campaign was run in 25 marginal seats across Australia. Of those seats 17 were Liberal/LNP/Independent and 8 Labor. Of the Coalition seats, we were successful in helping to retain all but 2, and helped oust pro-abortion Labor in 5 seats plus help transfer the seat of Chisholm back to the Liberals.

"Queensland had particularly good results. Our investment per seat was biggest in Queensland, so too our network being a state-based organisation. Many people in Queensland are still angry at the Queensland Labor Government for legalising late-term abortion up to birth, for any reason last year – and a number of these people quickly became "Put Labor Last" activists, in turn influencing whole communities to vote Labor and Greens last.

"The fact is, the truth about Labor's policies hurt them, and quite frankly they deserved it. Politicians and parties who advocate blatant savagery do not deserve to be in Parliament and all efforts will always be made to remove them or to stop them taking power.

“In some seats where we worked extensively there has been over a 11% swing towards to Coalition. While the counting continues - we can already see the success of the campaign is quite incredible in some areas. In the Forde electorate in Queensland, which was sitting on a 0.6% margin, we ran a concentrated and local Put Labor Last campaign, which no doubt helped usher in the swing of over 8% against Labor. Another particularly pleasing aspect of this wonderful election result was helping to oust EMILY’s List pro-abortion activists in Herbert, Longman and Braddon.

“It's been a great victory for life which will no doubt go down in the history books. Overall, it’s fair to say Cherish Life’s national Put Labor Last campaign played a small but significant role in a miraculous election victory,” Ms Johnson said.

Cherish Life Queensland is overjoyed with the life-valuing outcome of the federal election.

“Labor boasted about its extreme late-term abortion policy platform at its national conference late last year. What Labor promised meant that if Bill Shorten won government, through the threat of withholding federal health funding, all legal protection from the unborn would have been removed right across Australia and taxpayer-funded public hospitals would have been forced to perform abortions on request - even late-term abortions of healthy babies of healthy mothers.

“This policy was absolutely disgraceful and abhorrent, and as advocates for the right to life and protectors of unborn human life we simply had to act, and act big,” Ms Teeshan Johnson, executive director of Cherish Life Queensland said.

“We designed a national ‘Put Labor Last’ campaign to educate Australians on Labor’s disturbing open-slather abortion mission. (Campaign details including the 25 target seats are below.)

“Our multi-faceted pro-life campaign was run in 25 marginal seats across Australia. Of those seats 17 were Liberal/LNP/Independent and 8 Labor. Of the Coalition seats, we were successful in helping to retain all but 2, and helped oust pro-abortion Labor in 5 seats plus help transfer the seat of Chisholm back to the Liberals.

"Queensland had particularly good results. Our investment per seat was biggest in Queensland, so too our network being a state-based organisation. Many people in Queensland are still angry at the Queensland Labor Government for legalising late-term abortion up to birth, for any reason last year – and a number of these people quickly became "Put Labor Last" activists, in turn influencing whole communities to vote Labor and Greens last.

"The fact is, the truth about Labor's policies hurt them, and quite frankly they deserved it. Politicians and parties who advocate blatant savagery do not deserve to be in Parliament and all efforts will always be made to remove them or to stop them taking power.

“In some seats where we worked extensively there has been over a 11% swing towards to Coalition. While the counting continues - we can already see the success of the campaign is quite incredible in some areas. In the Forde electorate in Queensland, which was sitting on a 0.6% margin, we ran a concentrated and local Put Labor Last campaign, which no doubt helped usher in the swing of over 8% against Labor. Another particularly pleasing aspect of this wonderful election result was helping to oustEMILY’s List pro-abortion activists in Herbert, Longman and Braddon.

“It's been a great victory for life which will no doubt go down in the history books. Overall, it’s fair to say Cherish Life’s national Put Labor Last campaign played a small but significant role in a miraculous election victory,” Ms Johnson said.

CAMPAIGN DETAILS

• 710,000 educational flyers (photo below)– letterboxed in 25 electorates in Qld, NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, SA & WA by pro-life activists.
• TV commercial – aired quite extensively on Channel 7 and Channel 10 WIN in Rockhampton over the electorates of Flynn and Capricornia, in Mackay (Dawson) and Townsville (Herbert and Dawson), as well as a lighter run on Channel 7 in Perth metro, Brisbane metro and Sydney metro.
• Radio ad - airing the attached radio ad on top stations in north and central Queensland, northern Tasmania, Brisbane metro, Sydney metro (including the Blue Mountains) and Perth metro (covering the 4 target electorates).
• Print newspaper ads in statewide newspapers (Qld x 2 ads, NSW, WA & TAS), regional papers (Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton & Emerald) & local papers (Logan area).
• Social media targeted and tailored communications in key regions.
• Digital media in Queensland (News Corp) for 4 days (photo at top of press release).
• Community engagement and influence with our wonderful supporters to motivate their own communities to PUT LABOR LAST.
• Election Day support - in an unprecedented fashion, the day before the election we encouraged our supporters to hand out how-to-vote cards for the LNP after seeing the polls were so tight, in the final bid to keep Labor out.
• PUT LABOR LAST campaign URL: www.laborlast.org.au

25 TARGET SEATS

QLD – 9 Seats

1. FLYNN – LNP RETAIN
2. CAPRICORNIA – LNP RETAIN
3. HERBERT – LNP GAIN
4. LONGMAN – LNP GAIN
5. PETRIE - LNP RETAIN
6. DICKSON- LNP RETAIN
7. FORDE- LNP RETAIN
8. BONNER – LNP RETAIN
9. DAWSON - LNP RETAIN
   
   

NSW- 5 seats

1. LINDSAY – LIBERAL GAIN
2. MACUARIE – ALP RETAIN
3. ROBERTSON – LIBERAL RETAIN
4. BANKS – LIBERAL RETAIN
5. GILMORE – ALP GAIN
   
   

WA – 4 seats

1. SWAN - LIBERAL RETAIN
2. COWAN – ALP RETAIN
3. HASLUCK – LIBERAL RETAIN
4. PEARCE – LIBERAL RETAIN
   
   

VICTORIA – 3 seats

1. CHISHOLM -– LIBERAL GAIN
2. LA TROBE – LIBERAL RETAIN
3. DUNKLEY – ALP GAIN
   
   

TASMANIA – 3 seats

1. BASS – LIBERAL GAIN
2. BRADDON – LIBERAL GAIN
3. LYONS – ALP RETAIN
   
   

SA – 1 seat

1. BOOTHBY- LIBERAL RETAIN 
   
   

N.B. Our sister organisation in Victoria, Pro-Life Victoria generously paid for the PUT LABOR LAST flyers for their state and arranged distribution, and our sister organisation in WA, Right to Life WA did a tremendous job of distributing around 120,000 flyers in the 4 target seats there.

MESSAGING

LETTERBOX FLYER FOR QLD

Newspaper print ad for outside of Qld / Letterbox flyer for NSW, VIC, TAS, WA & SA shared this messaging

EXCLUSION ZONES RULING: A SAD DAY FOR DEMOCRACY & A CRUSHING BLOW TO THE UNBORN

“In a week where we have seen militant vegan activism, those protecting innocent babies and their mothers are being told they have no place in our society.” Ms Teeshan Johnson, executive director of Cherish Life Queensland

Cherish Life Queensland has condemned the High Court decision to uphold exclusion zones around clinics as tragic for the unborn and a blight on democracy.

“It’s a very disappointing decision. It’s a crushing defeat for democracy and almost as much as it is for the unborn.” Ms Teeshan Johnson, executive director of Cherish Life Queensland said.

“There have been many cases of women making a decision to keep their babies after encountering kind and caring ‘side-walk’ counselors outside abortion clinics. As well as saving babies, they have saved women from the agony of regret and sometimes-physical injury that comes with abortion. Such kindness is about saving women as much as it is saving babies. 

“People should also have the right to pray outside abortion clinics, but that democratic right to practice ones faith has been quashed today.

“Despite all the medical evidence proving the humanity of the unborn, including sophisticated ultra-sounds and embryology, our legal systems refuses personhood to the unborn before birth. No other rights make sense, if the right to life is not extended to unborn human beings. 

“Just this week Melbourne vegan activists brought the city to a grinding holt. In Queensland vegan activists trespassed, frightened primary industry workers and even demanded three lambs from an abattoir - yet no one has been charged. The hypocrisy and double standards in our justice system beggars belief. It appears the Australian legal system protects chickens and lambs more than unborn human beings.

“It is a sad day for Australia when our highest judiciary favours protecting of an industry which destroys human lives over the democratic freedoms of peaceful citizens.” Ms Johnson said.

ENDS

Media enquiries to Teeshan Johnson