Media Release 7 August 2022
Right to Life believes that it is imperative that we protect our vulnerable elderly, especially those in dementia care, from the increasing threat of being killed by a doctor with a lethal injection or assisted in suicide under the guise of health care.
New Zealand has a growing problem of providing health care for those suffering from dementia. It is estimated that the number requiring care in 2020 was 70,000, it is expected to increase to 100,000 in 2030 and to 170,000 in 2050. If the End of Life Choice Act 2019 was extended to provide for advance directives, a duty to die could be imposed on these very vulnerable patients.
Right to Life recently wrote to 11 leading Retirement Home organisations in New Zealand promoting our euthanasia free policy. The following Retirement Village organisations have responded by advising that residents in their care facilities may not have their lives terminated by a doctor with a lethal injection or assisted in suicide: Ryman Health Care, Heritage Lifecare, Oceania Healthcare and Summerset.
Euthanasia and assisted suicide are intrinsically evil, they have no place in a retirement village. Right to Life commends these organisations for providing their residents in care with a safe environment, and therefore these organisations deserve our support.
It is disappointing that 3 of the 11 retirement village organisations contacted would allow their residents to be legally killed by a doctor in their facilities.
Arvida advised ”We believe that residents can choose assisted dying, provided they initiate it.” The Managing Director of BUPA advised that ”for residents who are in care with us, given that this is their home, we will facilitate any assisted dying process to occur if this is what the resident wishes.”
The Chief Executive Officer of Metlifecare advised that ”Metlifecare would determine on a case by case basis whether it is appropriate for a resident who has been determined pursuant to the Act, to be eligible for assisted dying and wishes to receive assisted dying in their independent living unit or aged care home.”
These 4 organisations declined to respond to our correspondence: Real Living, Generous Living, Life Care and Ultimate Care
Our community must work to make our retirement villages euthanasia free by only supporting villages that are committed to protecting the lives of their residents. Please support Right to Life’s campaign to encourage all retirement villages to protect their residents and staff by adopting a euthanasia free policy.
Ken Orr,
Spokesperson,
Right to Life NZ Inc.
Thank you for this initiative. Do you intend to survey every hospice?
Hi Jan,
We are not at this stage, but are surveying all major retirement home companies. Many are stating that they will not allow a doctor to kill their patients at their facilities.