The Green Party needs to explain to the disabled members of our community why the majority of its Members of Parliament are committed to supporting the first reading of ACT Leader David Seymour’s infamous End of Life Choice bill . According to a recent poll conducted by the NZ Herald and information provided to Right to Life, two Green MPs have indicated that they will support the bill, five will probably support the bill and six are still undecided.
The majority of Green MPs support sending the bill to a Select Committee to initiate a public discussion and consultation on the desirability of changing the law, to not only allow doctors to kill their patients who are terminally ill or assist in their suicide, but also to allow for doctors to kill the disabled persons who have a “grievous and irremediable medical condition.” As we know from overseas experience that will just be the start.
Right to Life believes that the Greens have the most anti-life policies of any Party in Parliament and represent a serious threat to the lives of the unborn, the aged, the disabled and the seriously ill.
The Greens acknowledged on the 22nd September 2016 in their Medically Assisted Dying policy, that they supported the killing of the disabled. The policy reads that it did, “Not support the extension of medically-assisted dying to individuals who are not terminally ill, until {our emphasis} New Zealand has in place policies and practices that ensure full social inclusion, including equitable access to health services, for disabled people (see our Disability Policy).”
This section is an absolute affront to members of the disability community and contravenes their policy which is otherwise excellent. It is a declaration by the Greens that they believe that the lives of some disabled New Zealanders are not worth living and that they are prepared to change the law to allow doctors to kill them.
The Green Party’s respect for life is inconsistent. It supports absolute protection for the lives of lizards, native birds and the West Coast giant snail -the Powelliphanta, while at the same time refusing to support the inalienable right to life of our unborn children, the aged, the disabled and the seriously ill.
Right to Life believes that this is a reason why any person who values the sanctity of human life, can not in good conscience, support the Green party at the coming general election.
Ken Orr
Spokesperson,
Right to Life
I am disappointed with the Greens stance on this issue, it’s true, but I suspect that they may be amenable to disabled people explaining their reasons for opposition to assisted suicide more than other approaches. They do have a strong stance on welfare policy and that leads to some hope amongst members of that community. The reason is that many people with disabilities view ACT as the real enemy in this context on both the issue of brutal neoliberal welfare retrenchment, as occurred in the United Kingdom under Iain Duncan-Smith’s tenure as Minister of Work and Pensions, leading to a massive upsurge in homelessness, poverty, mental illness and suicide amongst UK disabled communities, and on the issue of euthanasia/assisted suicide. If packaged as an issue of disability discrimination and a seamless garment of neoliberal brutality, then the Greens may listen and reverse their current stance. And surely it is ACT that is the real threat? It is ACT Leader David Seymour who is introducing the End of Life Choices pro-euthanasia bill, not anyone on the left.
Might I point out that New Zealand First has said absolutely nothing about how it would vote in this context, and whether it would vote for the End of Life Choices Bill if it had a binding referendum provision? Given what happened in 2004 and Peter Brown, I am much more concerned about the current lack of scrutiny and benefit of doubt given unjustifiably to that party as well.
As Family First’s excellent Value Your Vote guide shows, it is *not* only Labour and Green MPs who are voting for the End of Life Choices Bill. Some Labour MPs are voting *against* it, jusas some voted against it in 2004. Some National LIst and constituency MPs are voting *for* it. Of particular concern is New Zealand First’s stance on the issue, which confirms my deepest concerns about that party. Mr Peters *says* he is a social conservative, but the leaders section states that New Zealand First would support a *referendum* on the End of Life Choices Bill, which would have literally fatal consequences for the elderly, disabled and poor in this country.
I applaud your criticism of ACT and United Future in this context, but thanks to that wonderful man Bob McCoskrie’s diligence and painstaking efforts, the pro-life movement can no longer afford to give New Zealand First the benefit of the doubt either. From bitter experience in Switzerland and the United States, we know what will happen if their obsession with binding referenda as a panacea are allowed to prevail on this issue:
http://www.valueyourvote.org.nz
Whatever the Greens stance might be, it is my great pleasure to report that these Labour MPs will be voting against the End of Life Choices Bill:
Damien O’Connor (Labour, West Coast)
David Clark (Labour, Dunedin North)
Nanaia Mahuta (Labour, Hauraki-Waikato)
Aupito William Sio (Labour, Mangere)
Rino Tirakatene (Labour, Te Tai Tonga)
Phil Twyford (Labour, Te Atatu)
Poto Williams (Labour, Christchurch East)
Meka Whaitiri (Labour, Ikaroa-Rauwhiti)
So is Te Ureroa Flavell (Maori Party, Wairiki)
Jenny Salesa (Labour, Manukau East) and Michael Wood (Labour, Mount Roskill) are listed as undecided. They may be able to be swayed by visits from disabled people or parents with disabled children persuading them to vote against the bill.
On the other hand, these National MPs appear to be voting for the bill:
Chris Bishop (National, List)
Simon Bridges (National, Tauranga)
Matt Doocey (National, Waimakariri)
Nikki Kaye (National, Auckland Central)
Todd MacLay (National, Rotorua)
Jami-Lee Ross (National, Botany)
Scott Simpson (National, Coromandel)
Add to that Peter Dunne (United Future) and of course, David Seymour (ACT) In other words, nine centre-right MPs will be voting for assisted killing despite the threat to the disabled, elderly and poor.
At present. the margin of opposition to support is 36 against and 32 for this wretched bill. That’s far too close for my comfort. I do acknowledge that much of National opposes the bill and I am grateful for that, but surely one should also acknowledge the seven Labour MPs also doing so, as well as Mr Flavell?
Why is this? Well, some National MPs are undecided on the bill. These number thirteen and are listed below:
Amy Adams (National, Selwyn)
Khawaljit Bakshi Singh (National, List)
Barbara Kuriger (National,Taranaki King Country)
Andrew Bayly (National, Hunua)
David Bennett (National, List)
Paula Bennett (National, Upper Harbour)
David Carter (National, List)
Judith Collins (National, Papakura)
Jacqui Dean (National, Waitaki)
Melissa Lee (National, List)
Anne Tolley (National, East Coast)
Louise Upston (National, Taupo)
Jian Yang (National, List)
In other words, identical proportions of Labour and National MPs are voting against and for this private members bill, and some National MPs seem to want to have things both ways, refusing to commit. This indicates the conscience vote is alive and well insofar as this issue is concerned.
http://www.valueyourvote.org.nz/2017-general-election/voting-records