Why is the Prime Minister Giving Mixed Messages About Suicide?

Media Release 21st April 2016

The government and Prime Minister are commended for promoting a culture of life, by implementing a Suicide Prevention Programme, which is funded by $25 million, for the period 2014 to 2016. However Right to Life is disappointed that the Prime Minister has refused to answer letters sent to him, asking him to clarify how he can support the government’s Suicide Prevention Strategy and at the same time express support for doctor assisted suicide.

On the 27th May 2013, the Prime Minister stated on Radio NZ that it was “critically important to reduce our very high youth suicide rate. So all I can say is that we care passionately about wanting to make sure that we protect youngsters. We know they’re vulnerable.” The Prime Minister also said that the number of young people who took their own lives was “far too high – I mean, any number above zero is too high”.

The Prime Minister was quoted as saying in the NZ Herald on 19th December 2015 that if a private members bill on the subject of euthanasia was drawn from the ballot- ACT leader David Seymour’s End of Life Choice bill – that he would vote for it. In July 2014 It is understood that at the recent Family First conference in Auckland that he had declared that he would support allowing“speeding up of the process” of death for a terminally ill patient.

Right to Life fully supports the government’s suicide prevention strategy and commends the government for the work that it does to reduce our country’s tragic suicide statistics. It is a tragedy that every week 10 people commit suicide. In 2014, 569 persons committed suicide, the highest ever recorded since statistics were kept. It is however in our opinion incongruent that John Key supports suicide prevention but on the other hand, wants to promote doctor assisted suicide for the terminally ill. His support for assisted suicide is particularly disturbing given that NZ has the second highest youth suicide statistics in the OECD.

How can the Prime Minister justify spending $25 million to prevent suicide and at the same time support government funded doctor assisted suicide?

The community has a right to know if the Prime Minister is really committed to reducing suicides in New Zealand. It would be a of great concern if the Prime Minister was prepared to support the Crimes Act being amended to allow doctors to kill their patients or assist in their suicide. These laws are there to protect the vulnerable in society, the aged, the disabled and the seriously ill.

Right to Life requests that the Prime Minister reaffirms his support for the Crimes Act that prohibits assisting in suicide and homicide and also that he will commit to defending the ethics of the medical profession which prohibit doctors killing their patients.

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