Parliament Rejects Debate on Bill which would allow Doctors to Kill their Patients

6th May 2016

Right to Life commends those National MPs who in defence of life on Wednesday, opposed a motion of Act Party Leader,David Seymour, to allow his End of Life Choice Bill to be debated. His motion was that his bill be debated on the day following the tabling of the Health Select Committee’s report on the Euthanasia petition of the Hon Maryan Street.

Right to Life requests that Members of Parliament follow the example of Parliament in 1995 and again in 2003, when they rejected the so-called ‘Death with Dignity’ bills at their first readings. They recognised that it is not the role of Parliament to legislate to allow doctors to kill their patients or assist in their suicide. They also recognised that it was the duty of Parliament to legislate for the protection of the lives of its citizens and not to preside over their destruction.

Right to Life encourages Parliament to give full support to the government’s excellent Suicide Prevention Strategy, that recognises that suicide in any form, hurts families and communities and that suicide is never the solution to any problem.

David Seymour is giving confused messages to Parliament and the community about suicide. He claims to support the government’s Suicide Prevention Strategy and yet supports assisted suicide for the seriously ill, the disabled and those with psychiatric conditions. Right to Life asks – how is possible to hold such contradictory viewpoints?

It is misleading for David Seymour to claim that “We are long overdue for a compassionate response to the anguish faced by the small but significant minority of grievously and irremediably or terminally ill, people. Instead, New Zealanders continue to be left with no choice but to endure intolerable suffering and loss of dignity in the final days of their lives.” This is simply not true, if we followed Holland in legislating for assisted suicide, we could expect an estimated 1,000 patients to be killed each year, hardly a small minority! New Zealanders do have a choice. This country has world class palliative care with pain control provided with compassion in 37 hospices nationwide.

It is never necessary to kill the patient as a solution to the problem of pain. Indeed, going down this route will result in irredeemable problems for our nation.

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