Euthanasia and assisted suicide have been hot topics of discussion here in New Zealand for a while now, with the debate heating up over the last few weeks as we anticipate a vote in parliament tomorrow night on Seymour's End of Life Choice Bill. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to learn about the proposed legislative changes from a number of people with relevant experience and qualifications, and from David Seymour himself. I strongly oppose this bill for many reasons, some of which I have outlined below.
You can't have a law that affects only a few people -- that isn't the way national law works. Advocates of this legislation often say: "Well, you might not want euthanasia, but can't we just have it for a few people?" No, you can't. New Zealand laws don't apply just to the people who want, like, or agree with them, they apply to everyone in our country.
This legislation would make euthanasia and assisted suicide just another form of acceptable healthcare in New Zealand. I don't know about you but if I'm discussing my treatment options with a doctor I don't expect him or her to list deliberate death as one of my options! Additionally, if you arrive in hospital and neither you nor anyone close to you is able to make decisions about your healthcare (e.g. you are unconscious and no family members can be reached) doctors will do what they believe is in your best interests. Do you really want euthanasia to be one of the options they can choose from?
A law such as this would completely undermine the work of all suicide prevention programs. It would proclaim that only some people are worthy of life and that others would be better off dead. That is certainly not the message we want to send to vulnerable New Zealanders; to our disabled, our elderly, or those struggling with mental illnesses. In fact, it is not a message we want to send to ANY New Zealanders. Such a message would encourage health professionals to fight harder for some of their patients' lives than others. It also would encourage the general population to view some members as more valuable than others. I thought our society was fighting for equality?
We already have a problem with elder abuse and this can only compound that problem. Every year, over 2200 cases of elder abuse are reported in New Zealand, while an estimated 3/4 of cases go unreported. 79% of these cases involve psychological abuse which no doctor can accurately detect in the time available with patients.
Although this bill would make euthanasia and assisted suicide healthcare by law, doctors and other health professionals have been some of the most outspoken opponents! "Doctors are not necessary in the regulation or practice of assisted suicide. They are included only to provide a cloak of medical legitimacy. Leave doctors to focus on saving lives and providing real care to the dying." Dr Donnelly states in Doctors Say No: An Open Letter to All New Zealanders which has 1103 signatures from New Zealand doctors at the time of this writing, while proponents of the bill have managed only 17 signatures on their Doctors Say Yes letter. Additionally, the only doctors who can face legal trouble under this bill are the ones who want no part in either euthanasia or assisted suicide. The only people this bill really protects are doctors who issue the so-called treatment, regardless of whether or not they followed the "required" procedures.
Although this bill would make euthanasia and assisted suicide healthcare by law, doctors and other health professionals have been some of the most outspoken opponents! "Doctors are not necessary in the regulation or practice of assisted suicide. They are included only to provide a cloak of medical legitimacy. Leave doctors to focus on saving lives and providing real care to the dying." Dr Donnelly states in Doctors Say No: An Open Letter to All New Zealanders which has 1103 signatures from New Zealand doctors at the time of this writing, while proponents of the bill have managed only 17 signatures on their Doctors Say Yes letter. Additionally, the only doctors who can face legal trouble under this bill are the ones who want no part in either euthanasia or assisted suicide. The only people this bill really protects are doctors who issue the so-called treatment, regardless of whether or not they followed the "required" procedures.
Other countries that have already legalised such practices with similar legislation have disastrous stories to tell of the consequences. The so-called "safeguards" are drastically insufficient to effectively protect vulnerable people. Minors are being euthanised, people are being euthanised against their will, and insurance companies are refusing to fund real care; Even in cases where they approved requests prior to legalisation of euthanasia they are withdrawing that approval saying they will fund euthanasia, but not treatment. Many people around the world are telling us not to make the terrible mistake they did. In fact, even those who advocated and signed for similar bills now wish they had not.
In the interest of time I will wrap up this post although there is a lot more I could say. The more I have learned the greater my opposition has grown. The introduction of such legislation would bring a seismic shift to the expectation and the nature of healthcare in New Zealand and have disastrous consequences on our society. I hope and pray that MPs have done their own research and will involve their consciences in tomorrow night's conscience vote on the End of Life Choice Bill.
Sources:
http://www.superseniors.msd.govt.nz/elder-abuse/
http://doctorssayno.nz/
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/member/2017/0269/latest/DLM7285905.html
https://cdn-flightdec.userfirst.co.nz/uploads/sites/yestodignity/files/PDFs__Files/2019/Drs_say_YES.pdf
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/oct/20/assisted-suicide-law-prompts-insurance-company-den/?fbclid=IwAR1nCgxx0ZOnAbn4pL6b6ICn3XwhiGPjvQI-ZoK9VBzPO3aEzU8oxzK4yWs
https://www.dailywire.com/news/34014/netherlands-elderly-woman-forcibly-euthanized-paul-bois
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