Points and quotes taken out of an article by Katie Kenny, Digital Explainer Editor (RNZ), 26 September 2024:
Assisted dying, three years on: What you need to know
Since the End of Life Choice Act came into effect in November 2021, nearly 2500 New Zealanders have applied for a physician-assisted death. As of 24 September 2024, 970 New Zealanders died this way.
Just to recall what the End of Life Choice Act determines regarding eligibility:
- aged 18 years or over
- a citizen or permanent resident of New Zealand
- suffering from a terminal illness that is likely to end their life within six months
- in an advanced state of irreversible decline in physical capability
- experiencing unbearable suffering that cannot be relieved in a manner that the person considers tolerable
- competent to make an informed decision about assisted dying.
The Act states that to be eligible, the person must meet all of the criteria.
However, ACT Party leader David Seymour, told RNZ that point 3 about the life expectancy was only introduced in order to have a chance to pass the bill: “It was introduced as a necessary political compromise to secure the votes needed to pass legislation.”
Seymour openly admits that he believes the Act is not going far enough for him. He seems to see the current Act as a stepping stone to broaden the eligibility criteria.
The quote by a psychologist researcher referring to euthanasia as an “assisted dying service” that was part of the “health and social care system” sounds unbelievable.
It starts with the language. If we believe that killing is part of the “health and social care system”, then it will be hard to trust this system.
If we suffer pain – will we get the best pain relief possible or are we told that we could get an injection as we are “experiencing unbearable suffering”. What does this point actually mean? What is tolerable to a person with appropriate palliative care is different to the situation of a person who is left semi-abandoned with basic medication.
Even for dementia patients there are good and bad days – who will decide if the right day was picked when the person agreed to end their life?
According to Professor Sinead Donnelly, a specialist in palliative medicine, safeguards might “gradually be changed”.
As Seymour said, he intended to have less restrictions.
Concerns raised in a research project at the end of 2022 (with 41 doctors, nurses, and social workers in four hospices in New Zealand) confirmed the concerns that have been raised by advocacy groups for many years:
- “It’s not surprising someone experiences distress as they’re facing dying. In the past, palliative care would engage with that. But if someone says they’re signing up for assisted dying, that’s the end of the conversation. That’s what the [research] participants have described.”
- The research found patients were requesting assisted dying not just because of physical pain but for “existential distress” – in some cases, related to “feeling a burden”.
- “Their focus moves towards the [assisted dying] assessment and setting a date,” Donnelly said. “The natural growth and healing that would occur – it’s a common phrase in the world of palliative care, ‘to die healed’ – is prematurely ended. And that’s a great sadness to the specialists.”
And – by the way, did you know that “assisted dying” is paid by the taxpayer?
Wouldn’t it be more useful to invest this money in good palliative care?
It seems like we are reaching just another chapter of our “throw-away culture”. Rather than investing in repairing and maintenance, many people just throw things out and replace them.
None of us humans is replaceable. We are all unique and we need to support each other.
Xanthippe
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