Religious leaders warn of dangers in poorly drafted End of Life Choice Act
 
Some of New Zealand’s most prominent religious leaders say New Zealanders need to be aware of the considerable harm that the End of Life Choice Act could do and are urging them to vote No in the referendum at this year’s general election.
 
“We acknowledge the importance of freedom of choice, however there are significant weaknesses and dangers in this Act which will fail to protect the most vulnerable,” says Archbishop Philip Richardson of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa New Zealand.
 
“In our caring roles we support the dying and their families, and we understand just how vulnerable people are at the end-of-life, including, often, the feeling of being a burden. That experience has given us real insights into how the End of Life Choice Act will work in the real world. Our concerns are about the unintended consequences for the most vulnerable people.”
 
The leaders’ letter focuses on the risks and dangers associated with the Act itself. Included in the letter is a strong critique of the Act because it fails to include key safeguards present in overseas laws, including no mandatory stand-down period - under the Act, a person could be dead less than four days after diagnosis; weak processes for detecting if people feel pressured; and that the Act does not require a patient to discuss their decision with a family member or other significant person.
 
“Our communities include doctors and nurses who work at the front line of end-of-life care and we have listened to their concerns. We have also listened to the concerns of lawyers who understand how laws work and who think that this law is badly drafted and lacking critical safeguards present in other overseas laws.
 
“Our opposition to this Act reflects our compassion for those who will experience a wrongful premature death because of the dangers of this Act; in particular those who will feel coerced into an early death, whether because of their own feelings of being a burden or because of overt pressure from others.
 
“As we note in our letter: Even those who favour some form of assisted death have many reasons to Vote NO to this Act. We are simply adding our concerns about how the Act will operate in practice to the expressed concerns of many other New Zealanders.”
 
 
 
Media contact:
Chris Wikaira
0274522472
 
The letter and full list of signatories is attached.

Additional Newsletter excerpt for Sunday 13 September: 

Be informed about the End of Life Choice Act Referendum: 

• The End of Life Choice Act is not an option of ‘last resort’. It will not just apply to the ‘exceptionally difficult cases’. It does not require that a person first make use of available treatments or counselling, nor that they first receive palliative care. A person does not need to be in physical pain. 
• If euthanasia becomes legal in NZ, people will access it because they think they lack other choices.  Even though quality palliative care is effective, there is no corresponding legal right to access palliative care. Under current law, people can already say ‘no’ to treatments and can receive whatever level of pain relief they need. These days, no-one need die in pain. 

The EOLC Act is badly drafted and seriously flawed. Whatever one’s views about the idea of euthanasia, it is not ‘compassion’ to vote for a dangerous law. 
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See www.riskylaw.nz or www.votesafe.nz or defendnz.co.nz or www.carealliance.org.nz  
Authorised by Graham O’Brien, 30 Vanguard St, Nelson 7040.