Election 2020: End of life election referendum to be debated in Newstalk ZB

A panel of experts is debating tonight whether New Zealanders should be able to ask for help to end their lives.

Presented by Heather du Plessis-Allan of Newstalk ZB, the panel features:

• Wellington GP Dr Mary English

• Professor Rod MacLeod of Hospice NZ

• Stuart Armstrong, a terminal cancer patient

• Dr. John Bonning, Waikato Hospital Emergency Medicine Specialist.

It comes before the end-of-life election referendum on October 17, which will determine whether assisted death is legal in New Zealand.

The panel first explained their positions on the referendum.

Armstrong said he wanted the option of dying on his own terms “when and where it suits me.”

Instead of suffering a “twisted” death, he wanted to avoid it for his own good and that of his family.

He wanted to go out with a party by a campfire instead of snuggling up in a hospital bed, he said.

English recalled a story from a medical colleague, who was told by a patient that she wanted to die.

He said the patient’s mother later revealed that her daughter was in an abusive relationship and was being forced to die.

There were many families in a similar situation, he said.

When asked what he would say to someone who wants to die, English said it must be balanced with the rights of vulnerable people such as the elderly and the disabled.

When it was pointed out that they were not eligible for euthanasia under the law, English said there was “no clear line.”

Bonning said he was “in favor of abortion” and was focused on alleviating suffering. She respected the options of opponents of euthanasia, but disagreed with those who wanted to control the lives of others, she said.

He wanted to dispel myths about euthanasia, including the false claim that suicides increased in places where euthanasia was legalized.

He added that assisted death had worked “wonderfully” in Victoria and elsewhere.

“There are 45 requirements in this [New Zealand] legislation. It’s going to be the most rigorous in the world. “

Macleod said that he had practiced hospice for more than 30 years and that he had yet to meet someone who he thought was better off dead.

How will it work?

The next segment of the debate focused on how the legislation would work.

Macleod said that a person can take the oral dose of the drug on their own or have it administered by a doctor.

It was difficult to know how long the drugs would take to work, he said.

“There is an assumption that euthanasia is like flipping a switch. But it occasionally takes longer, and there are reports from Oregon saying it takes longer.

“It’s not as simple as hitting something and they die.”

Bonning said that in Victoria, most people took the lethal dose on their own.

There were many beautiful anecdotes from the Australian state, with people dying the way they want to. She recalled stories of people having a glass of port before saying goodbye to their family.

He said there was no evidence of a slippery slope or of coerced patients.

Improving palliative care in New Zealand would not prevent all the suffering, he said. Palliative care had to work hand in hand with an end-of-life choice system.

The End of Life Choice Act would allow a terminally ill person to apply for assisted death.

To be eligible, they would need the approval of two physicians who must apply safeguards including competence and no evidence of coercion.

Five things to know about the euthanasia referendum

New Zealand will vote next month if it wants voluntary euthanasia to be legalized.

Before casting your vote, here are five things to know.

1. You have the last word.

The referendum is binding and a majority of “yes” votes will mean that voluntary euthanasia will be legalized exactly one year after Election Day (October 17). A “no” vote will mean that we maintain the status quo.

2. We’ve been here before, something like that.

Parliament has twice voted against laws to legalize euthanasia in New Zealand. Former National MP Michael Laws’ Death with Dignity bill was heavily defeated in 1995. And New Zealand’s first MP Peter Brown’s bill of the same name was defeated by a narrow margin – by just two votes – in 2003.

In the latest attempt, Parliament has already passed the Law Party MP David Seymour End-of-Life Election Act, but relies on a public vote to get over the line.

3. If it were legalized, euthanasia would not be available to anyone.

It would be limited to New Zealanders or permanent residents who are 18 years of age or older and suffer a terminal illness that is likely to end their lives in six months.

They must also be:

• in an advanced state of irreversible impairment of physical ability

• experiencing excruciating suffering that cannot be alleviated in a way that they consider tolerable

• competent to make an informed decision about death

They also cannot be eligible just because of their age, mental illness, or disability.

4. However, opponents are concerned that legalization may create risks for a broader group.

Some countries have expanded their euthanasia laws. This is being considered in Canada, on which New Zealand law was based in part. A law change there could soon make euthanasia available to non-terminal patients.

Supporters of the End of Life Options Act say that doesn’t bode well for what could happen here. Those changes were a response to a ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada and were based on a constitution that does not exist in New Zealand. Any further changes to New Zealand law would have to go through Parliament.

5. Euthanasia generally benefits the most privileged people in society.

Analysis of deaths in the United States, Canada, and Europe found that those most likely to access assisted death were elderly, white, well-educated, and relatively wealthy.

This is mainly because this group is more likely to have better access to the health care system and to be able to overcome the medical and bureaucratic obstacles to assisted dying.