Attack on human dignity
AGAINST
Philip Nitschke is the founder and director of Exit International; its objective is to teach vulnerable people about suicide. His presence in New Zealand should be seen as a threat to our most vulnerable members, the aged, the disabled and the seriously ill.
Euthanasia is about doctors killing their patients or assisting in their suicide, it is an attack on the dignity of the human person.
Every human being has intrinsic dignity and is endowed at conception with an inalienable right to life. Being inalienable, it may not be taken from us nor may we give it up.
Australian health authorities have recorded at least 51 Australians, 14 of whom were in their 20s and 30s, who have killed themselves with the lethal drug Nembutal.
In 2014, the Medical Board of Australia suspended Nitschke, stating that he presented ‘‘a serious risk to public health and safety’’. He was reinstated in 2015 following an appeal to the courts. In 2016 he destroyed his licence to practise, refusing to comply with the new demands of the Medical Council.
Nitschke promotes a culture of death and seeks to have our laws changed to allow doctors to kill their patients or assist in their suicide.
The Crimes Act prohibits aiding or assisting in suicide, it also prohibits homicide. These laws are there for the protection of the most vulnerable members of our community, we change these laws at our peril.
Nitschke, who now resides in Holland, holds up Holland as an example to be
Good medical care aims to eliminate the pain, not kill the patient.
emulated. Holland has, within 15 years of introducing euthanasia legislation, expanded the killing to now include the depressed, those with Alzheimers, children, and an estimated 650 babies each year.
The Dutch Government, made up of Greens, Labour and liberals, recently advised Parliament that the euthanasia law will be amended next year to allow the government to provide a lethal pill to the elderly who believe that they are ‘‘done with life’’, but not suffering from a serious or terminal medical condition.This proposal has the support of 60 per cent of the community.
How many years will it take for this right of the elderly to kill themselves to become a duty?
We should learn from Oregon, where 60 per cent of those who seek doctorassisted suicide also believe that they are a burden on family and society. It is cheaper to kill the patient than to care.
Good medical care aims to eliminate the pain, not kill the patient.
The New Zealand Medical Association, Hospice New Zealand, the Australian and New Zealand Society of Palliative Medicine and Palliative Care Nurses New Zealand and others, all oppose a law change. Euthanasia leads to an increase in elder abuse and would give the wrong message to disturbed teenagers who have the second highest suicide rate in the OECD. It would also destroy the trust we have in the medical profession.
David Seymour, leader of ACT, has a Death with Dignity bill waiting to be drawn from the ballot. Ian LeesGalloway, a Labour MP, also has a Death with Dignity bill (drafted by Maryan Street) awaiting the permission of Labour leader Andrew Little to be returned to the ballot. The Green Party has the dubious distinction of being the only political party that has a policy to promote euthanasia.
Right to Life believes that the electorate should be wary of voting for a party that supports euthanasia.
Right to Life believes that police deserve the commendation and support of the community for their efforts to protect and place in appropriate care, vulnerable and elderly New Zealanders who are members of Exit.
Members have been encouraged to break the law by purchasing Nembutal, a Class C drug from Mexico, and to join groups that travel with Nitschke to Mexico to purchase the deadly drug.
Importing a Class C drug is a serious crime and a violation of the Misuse of Drug Act 1975. On conviction, the offender may be fined up to $500 and imprisoned for up to three years. To incite, counsel or assist in suicide, is a violation of the Crimes Act section 179. On conviction, the offender may be imprisoned for up to 14 years.
The Chief Coroner recently advised that 579 New Zealanders in the 2015-16 year killed themselves, the highest ever recorded. This is a tragedy.
Police also have a duty to prosecute those regardless of age, who break the law by illegally importing or smuggling dangerous Class C drugs. Police are to be commended for referring their actions in this matter to the Independent Police Conduct Authority.
Right to Life asks, why is Nitschke allowed to conduct meetings in New Zealand to encourage vulnerable people to illegally import Nembutal, and to encourage them to commit suicide?
Ken Orr is spokesman for Right To Life.