Media Release 16 June 2021
Right to Life is pleased that the Minister of Health, Hon Andrew Little has advised our society that he has no policy to require that hospices have to accept patients being killed by their doctors or assisted in their suicide in order to continue receiving government funding. This information was provided by the Minister under the Official Information Act. The End of Life Choice Act will allow for the killing by doctors of their patients with a lethal injection or assistance in suicide from 7th November 2021. This is government supported and funded “health care.”
The Minister is to be commended for upholding the integrity of our hospices that are committed to upholding the Hippocratic Oath, not to give a lethal poison to a patient, or to assist in their suicide.
The High Court in Wellington in 2020 in the judicial review: Hospice NZ V Attorney General found in the judgment of Justice Mallon:-
• Organisations such as hospices have a right to hold conscientious objection to euthanasia and PAS – and the Crown should not be able to override this right through funding decisions.
• The mandatory provisions in the EOLC Act do not override the Code of Health and Disability Consumer’s rights.
In committing to providing quality compassionate palliative care for the most vulnerable members of society when they are suffering a terminal illness, they are providing care that recognises the dignity and the inalienable right to life of every human being, made in the image and likeness of God.
It is also affirming the role of the medical profession as carers and not killers. We don’t need to kill the patient to kill the pain.
This assurance from the Health Minister will be welcomed by our dedicated health professionals who are committed to caring for their patients and not killing them, under the pretext that this is health care. This assurance will also be a great source of comfort to family who place their loved-ones into hospices for palliative care.
The government currently provides funding of $155 million per annum to the 33 hospices in New Zealand This is only 1/3 of the funding required, the other two thirds are required to be raised by the community. Why is the government providing 100 % funding to kill patients (under the End of Life Choice Act) and yet only 33% of the funding to provide palliative care?
We must promote a culture of life by fiercely protecting our palliative care and Hospice movement, rejecting a culture of death by strongly opposing those who will be seeking to infiltrate our Hospices with the killing of patients by a lethal injection, or assisting in their suicide, under the guise that this is compassionate health care.
Ken Orr,
Spokesperson,
Right to Life
Leave a Reply