The Health Select Committee has received a petition requesting “That the House of Representatives investigate fully public attitudes towards the introduction of legislation which would permit medically-assisted dying in the event of a terminal illness or an irreversible condition which makes life unbearable.” The petition asks for a change to existing law. Therefore the committee will undertake an investigation into ending one’s life in New Zealand. In order to fully understand public attitudes the committee will consider all the various aspects of the issue, including the social, legal, medical, cultural, financial, ethical, and philosophical implications.
The Committee will investigate:
1. The factors that contribute to the desire to end one’s life.
2. The effectiveness of services and support available to those who desire to end their own lives.
3. The attitudes of New Zealanders towards the ending of one's life and the current legal situation.
4. International experiences.
CMF NZ is a member of the Care Alliance, a group of organisations opposed to legalising Euthanasia or Assisted Suicide (EAS) in New Zealand. CMF NZ has a position statement on EAS. For more information and a summary of the relevant issues, we highly recommend the website http://protect.org.nz/.
CMF NZ strongly encourages ALL members and associates to make a submission, whether it be 2 sentences or 2 pages long. This issue has the potential to greatly impact our way of life in New Zealand and it is worth the time for each of us to carefully and prayerfully consider the issues at hand. The Health Select Committee is asking to hear all voices on this issue. CMF NZ will be preparing a submission representing the organisation. Each submission represents an individual's point of view, and therefore we ask that each individual in CMF NZ consider making a submission, even if it only states your overall position on the subject. If you have a story to share relating to suicide or end-of-life issues, then this could be particularly powerful for the select committee to hear. Submissions can be made on the New Zealand Parliament website here through the link at the bottom of the page. Submissions close on 1st February 2016.