Euthanasia-Free NZ: Opposing Assisted Suicide / Assisted …

We care about suffering, but after careful consideration of the complex issues involved, we have concluded that changing the law would NOT be the solution.

Contrary to a common myth, the debate is NOT about whether an individual should be able to end their own life.

The debate is about whether one person should be allowed to intentionally end, or help end, the life of someone else.

The ultimate choice would actually lie with the other person, not the person who dies.

People can already end their own lives. They could do so by refusing life support, resuscition or further treatment, or by deliberately ending their own life (suicide). Suicide is not a crime. However, we encourage anyone with suicidal thoughts to seek support from Lifeline.

Assisted dying, aid in dying and end of life choice are all euphemisms for assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia. These practices are illegal due to Section 179 of the New Zealand Crimes Act, prohibitingthe aiding and abetting of suicide. The debate is about whether there should be exceptions to this clause whether some peoples suicides should be aided, even though other peoples suicides are to be prevented. The debate is about whether there should be these two classes of people. The debate is about whether the State (the government and its systems) should condone and facilitate the suicides of some its citizens.

Euthanasia-Free NZ is concerned that the legalisation of assisted suicide would contradict and undermine suicide prevention.

The Scottish Parliament rejected assisted dying legislation for the effect assisted dying would have on suicide prevention, among other reasons.

Another common myth is that a law change would be a personal choice, affecting only the person and their doctor. We disagree.

Criminal law would change for all of New Zealand. The law is the conscience of society. What gets legalised, gets normalised. The law sends a powerful message to all of society and especially to the next generation, who may grow up not knowing anything different. What kind of society do we want to leave for future generations?

The legalisation of voluntary euthanasia and assisted suicide would affect all of society, including those who dont want such an end-of-life option for themselves.

Currently our society accepts that people need to be cared for until their natural death, even if it costs money. If legal assisted suicide would become an option, staying alive would become optional too. Because death would be cheaper than care and treatment, there would be pressure on people to choose the cheaper option.

The mere existence of legal assisted suicide as an option would put pressure on people to choose it. If they dont choose it, they would effectively choose to be a financial burden on society when they dont have to. The so-called right to die would become a duty a die. There would be subtle pressure on elderly, disabled and ill people to do the right thing and free up health resources for the young and the able-bodied. Such pressure may increase over time.

We are convinced that no safeguards would be safe enough to protect people from subtle, or not so subtle, pressure to request death. The people who would be most at risk are people who are elderly, disabled, mentally ill, in abusive relationships or emotionally vulnerable people.

Here is a summary of other reasons why our organisation warns against the legalisation of assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia.

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Euthanasia-Free NZ: Opposing Assisted Suicide / Assisted ...