Media Release 17 August 2024
Right to Life believes that the review of the End of Life Choice Act [EOLC] Act, currently being conducted by the Assisted Dying Secretariat is fundamentally flawed. It is imperative that we oppose the anticipated anti-life amendments in online submissions on the review. The government has opened submission from the public from 1 August until 26 September 2024.
The EOLC Act empowers doctors to kill eligible vulnerable patients with a lethal injection or to assist their suicide. It is part of the culture of death, which seeks to destroy the human race.
Right to Life believes that the Assisted Dying Secretariat, because of its commitment to promoting the killing of vulnerable patients under the EOLC Act, is not neutral and it is therefore disqualified from conducting this review. Right to Life believes that this review should ideally be conducted by an agency which is committed to upholding the sanctity of life of every individual and to providing care, not the killing of vulnerable patients.
The Assisted Dying Secretariat, within the Ministry of Health (the Ministry) is dedicated to ensuring that this essential health service for the killing of vulnerable patients is available and accessible for all New Zealanders wherever they live.
Right to Life believes that the Secretariat is committed to promoting euthanasia and assisted suicide, and can be expected to produce a report to Parliament that will recommend the amendment and expansion of the EOLC Act to :-
• Remove the prohibition on medical practitioners from initiating a discussion with a patient that they should consider assisted suicide or euthanasia.
• Remove the requirement that the patient is expected to die within 6 months
• Extend availability of euthanasia for the disabled and those who have Alzheimers disease/ Dementia
• Extend availability of euthanasia to those who have an advance directive for their healthcare
• Mandating hospices to allow the assessment of their patients for euthanasia in their facility and to allow their killing in the hospice
Right to Life believes that David Seymour supports this review and the above amendments to the EOLC Act, which if enacted by Parliament, would dramatically increase the number of vulnerable patients killed with a lethal injection or assisted in suicide.
The review of the Act is being conducted from 1st August to 26th September. It will be done in 2 parts, the first part of the review Is a review of the operation of the Act with those who provide “assisted dying services”. The second part is an online process to gather public feedback about changes which could be made to the Act.
David Seymour, architect of the EOLC Act, stated in Parliament in 2019 that with his bill, euthanasia and assisted suicide were going to be extraordinarily rare in New Zealand.
However the reality is that it is not extraordinarily rare. The Act came into force on 7th November 2021. Since 1st February 2022 until 31st March 2024, 672 vulnerable New Zealanders have been killed by their doctor with a lethal injection or assisted in suicide.
A report summarising the public’s views will be offered to the Minister of Health after the Review; recommendations to the EOLC Act will be made based on part one of this report. The reports will be tabled in the House and political parties may consider private member’s bills, which would normally be placed in the ballot.
Alternatively, a Member may seek leave of the House for the bill to be accepted to have its first reading on the next Member’s day.If such a bill was passed at its first reading, it would be referred to a select committee for consideration and to receive submissions from the public.
Submissions can be made using this link to the Ministry of Health website: https://consult.health.govt.nz/regulatory-policy/public-consultation-for-the-review-of-the-end-of-l/
Ken Orr,
Spokesperson,
Right to Life New Zealand Inc
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