The Presbyterian Church of Australia has called on Federal Members of Parliament to oppose the euthanasia bill soon to be considered by the Government.

The Church’s Moderator General, Rt Rev David Jones, has personally written to each Member asking them to oppose Senator Brown’s Restoring Territory Rights (Voluntary Euthanasia Legislation) Bill 2010.

“The Presbyterian Church of Australia is fundamentally opposed to the legalisation of euthanasia,” he said.

“We understand euthanasia to be the taking of the life of one human being by another—albeit with the best of intentions. While we fully support the development of palliative care and recognise the secondary consequence of the hastening of death which sometimes occurs as a result of that course of pain-management, that must not be confused with what is proposed by this legislation!”

Mr Jones said the legislation in its current form proposed the legalisation of the calm, cold, calculated decision to take another’s life.

“This is legalising a form of murder,” he said.

“This is not a States’ Rights issue but a fundamental issue of moral importance and so I am appealing to the government to not support this legislation.”

Meanwhile, the Presbyterian Church of South Australia has called on the Government to take another look at the Consent to Medical Treatment and Palliative Care Act 1995, and realize that all that needed to be legislated was already in place.

Speaking on behalf of the Church and Nation Committee - which has a government and media watch dog role within the Church - Moderator Pastor Barry Rossiter said the Church in South Australia was ideologically opposed to removing centuries of wise law.  “Killing is murder,” he said. “While the Church recognises the good intentions of those promoting the legalization of voluntary euthanasia, the purpose does not justify the means.”

Mr Rossiter said it was not wise to change society’s standards fundamentally.

“While the Church recognizes that proponents of euthanasia aim to relieve the pain or distress of those with medically incurable/untreatable illness, by consciously ending that life, we oppose the deliberate administering of drugs with the aim of death,” he said. “We understand that in the overwhelming majority of cases, palliative care is able adequately to control physical pain and enable patients to die with dignity.  Existing South Australian legislation lets people plan in advance for relief of pain and distress, and already protects medical practitioners from liability.”

Mr Rossiter said to change society’s standards fundamentally and to flout God’s basic blueprint for its survival as found in the sixth Commandment - “you shall not murder” - for the tiny minority of instances where this was not the case, was far from wise. The Committee has written to Members of the South Australian Parliament.