Information on Bill & Parliamentary Process

You can read the EOLC Bill here: http://www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/member/2017/0269/latest/DLM7285905.html

This potential legislation is now being considered by the Justice Select Committee. 
Written submissions are now open and will close at midnight on Tue March 6th, 2018 (this is a 2 weeks extension from the original date). You can make a submission online:
https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/sc/make-a-submission/document/52SCJU_SCF_BILL_74307/end-of-life-choice-bill
It is expected the committee with also hear oral submissions (in person or via phone) and you can request to appear before the select committee in your written submission.  

This chart provides a helpful overview of the Select Committee process: https://www.parliament.nz/media/1876/the-select-committee-submission-process.pdf 

The family first organisation has produced a helpful and comprehensive submission guide: https://rejectassistedsuicide.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Submission-Guide-2018-Web-version.pdf
This guide is useful to point people to who would like to make a submission but would also like to know more about this issue.

The CMF submission was uploaded on 20/2/18 and can be viewed here. We spoke from a biopsychosocial-medical point of view and pointed to peer-reviewed articles as evidence to support our significant concerns about this bill in particular or any move to legalise euthanasia. 

The NZMA submission is excellent, it can be read here.

The InterChurch Bioethics Council has a very different but also very good submissions and can be read here. This submission touches on some of the aspects of the Christian faith which are opposed to euthanasia.

Who would be eligible for a doctor to help kill them under the bill?

Copied from the EOLC Bill.

person who is eligible for assisted dying means a person who—

(a) is aged 18 years or over; and

(b) is—

(i) a person who has New Zealand citizenship as provided in the Citizenship Act 1977; or

(ii) a permanent resident as defined in section 4 of the Immigration Act 2009; and

(c) suffers from—

(i) a terminal illness that is likely to end his or her life within 6 months; or

(ii) a grievous and irremediable medical condition; and

(d) is in an advanced state of irreversible decline in capability; and

(e) experiences unbearable suffering that cannot be relieved in a manner that he or she considers tolerable; and

(f) has the ability to understand—

(i) the nature of assisted dying; and

(ii) the consequences for him or her of assisted dying.