Press release from the Voluntary Euthanasia Society of New Zealand

It is a pity that as a Parliamentary committee is holding the first public inquiry into the issue of medically-assisted dying to end intolerable suffering of the terminally ill, opponents have resorted to a campaign of blatant lies, Dr Jack Havill, president of the Voluntary Euthanasia Society of New Zealand (VESNZ), said on Tuesday.

Dr Havill, a retired specialist with 30 years’ experience in intensive care of the seriously ill, said a statement by the Right to Life organisation claiming that VESNZ supported giving a suicide pill to all 70-year-olds was “full of lies and distorted thinking” designed to confuse when opinion polls show that nearly three-quarters of New Zealanders favour a law change.

He said VESNZ had never supported giving a suicide pill to 70-year-olds in New Zealand, as claimed by Right to Life spokesman Ken Orr, and nor did Dutch euthanasia expert Dr Rob Jonquiere, who toured New Zealand earlier this year, advocate it.

Dr Havill, of Hamilton, said Mr Orr “loves talking about killing” but preferred “people to have drawn out deaths with great suffering, should palliative care be unable to meet their needs”.

Dr Havill said: “Physician assisted dying (PAD) is hugely different ethically and practically from murder and suicide. But it is obvious that Ken Orr and his ilk do not have either the intelligence or honesty to see the difference.

“For the most part, the only individuals and organisations continuing to use the words ‘suicide’ and ‘killing’ in relation to PAD, are those who for political, religious or philosophical reasons advocate against it This is the reason that Right to Life loves using these words.”

Dr Havill said VESNZ had no need to resort to lies to convince the public that no more people would die, but fewer would suffer if the law was changed allowing doctors to respond to requests by the terminally ill to end their lives peacefully.

He said VESNZ’s position was spelled out in its submission to the health select committee’s inquiry on voluntary euthanasia which can be viewed on the Parliamentary Website ( Select Committee Assisted Dying Enquiry).

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