Right to Life is concerned that the Minister of Justice, Andrew Little, under the guise of neutrality, refuses to include important information relating to the End of Life Choice Act on the government’s referendum website. We believe this information should be available in order that the public are able to make an informed decision when voting on whether the End of Life Choice Act should come into force. This information concerns the unprecedented effects the Act will have on the administration of the law and medicine in New Zealand. 

The Minister advised Right to Life on 1 September, in reply to our letter of 9 July 2020, that he acknowledged our concerns and said that, “they were important arguments to make in the public debate on whether to support or oppose the enactment of the EOLCA.” The Minister claimed that his Ministry, “is directed solely at explaining the content of the legislation in a neutral way. It is not advocating for either side of the debate.”

Right to life believes that he and the government should not be neutral on matters pertaining to life and death. The government has a duty to defend life. It is the governments responsibiiity to ensure Parliament protects the lives of every member of the community from conception to natural death and to protect and defend the ethics of the medical profession. The deafening silence of the Minister is indefensible. If this referendum receives majority support it will create two important precedents that will affect a catastrophic change for our parliamentary democracy and the practice of medicine in New Zealand.

• The first precedent is that Parliament will now usurp the authority of our Creator by taking to itself the right to decide who may be killed with a lethal injection and who may be assisted to commit suicide.

• The second precedent is that doctors and nurses are empowered to kill their patients or assist in their suicide, funded by the State.

The government is not neutral, as we believe that 72% of its Labour members pressured by the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern voted in support of the Act to empower doctors to kill their patients with a lethal injection or to assist in their suicide. The majority of the Labour caucus misguidedly support the killing of vulnerable patients with a lethal injection or assisting them in suicide as health care.

Right to Life believes that the government’s real objective is to encourage a misinformed electorate to support the government’s agenda of social engineering by voting “yes” at the referendum. The government does not want to say anything that will discourage the electorate from opposing a YES vote at the referendum. Why is the government determined to prevent a debate on these critically important issues that will affect the future of our nation?

At this election we are in the words in Deuteronomy, “offered life or death, chose life that you and your children may live.” Right to Life requests that voters protect the vulnerable in our community by voting no to the referendum on euthanasia.

Ken Orr,

Spokesperson,

Right to Life

Authorised by Paul Ives, 22C McBrattneys Rd, Dallington, Christchurch 8061