Helen Clark urges Kiwis to vote yes on euthanasia

Former prime minister Helen Clark has come out in strong support of the ‘yes’ vote in the upcoming euthanasia referendum. She joins her deputy Sir Michael Cullen, who is terminally ill and wants to retain control and dignity in his final days. Kiwis will vote on whether to make the End of Life Choice Act active law at a referendum held alongside the election next month. The law would allow those who are terminally ill to request assisted dying. Clark said it was a matter of choice, with those who opposed assisted dying free to not make use of the law. ‘‘Those who oppose the Act clearly would not wish to invoke its provisions themselves, but they should not prevent others from having the choice to do so. That isn’t fair,’’ Clark said. Clark said she was confident that the law had sufficient safeguards against coercion.