Queensland AG affirms life, supports palliative care and not euthanasia

Hat tip to for picking up this article from Brisbane:Alex Schadenberg
 
The Brisbane Times is reporting that Jarrod Bleijie, the Queensland Australia Attorney-General stated:

"The Queensland Government has no plans to make changes to the laws in this regard"

Jarrod-Bleijie
Jarrod Bleijie
The Brisbane Times article stated:

"Successive petitions asking for assisted suicide or euthanasia have been rejected by the Attorney-General, who acknowledges it as an issue which "polarises" the community. 

"At the essence of this debate, is how best to balance the competing values of the desire of individuals to choose to die with dignity when suffering and the need to uphold the inherent right to life of every person," Mr Bleijie responded. 

Under current state law, euthanasia is a criminal offence."

Russell-amp-Andrews
Hon. Kevin Andrews with Paul Russell
Bleijie explained that palliative care is available and when pain is difficult to control, aggressive palliative care measures can be used. He explained that aggressive pain control does not provide any justification for euthanasia.
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The euthanasia debate was last seriously discussed in Queensland in 2010.
 
NB: LNP Leader and Premier of Queensland, Campbell Newman communicated similar sentiments to me in response to my candidate survey before the last Queensland election. Both Campbell's parents were MPs in the Federal Parliament in their time and his mother, Jocelyn, as Senator for Tasmania, was a supporter of euthanasia legislation. (Paul Russell)
 
Paul Russell and HOPE Australia have been instrumental in defeating attempts to legalize euthanasia or assisted suicide throughout Australia.