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Ignore the mythmakers – silent majority backs assisted dying
Ignore the mythmakers – silent majority backs assisted dying
“Assisted dying has the clear support of a strong majority of New Zealanders. And it will also have the support of the majority of MPs – so long as the silent majority speaks up,” says End of Life Choice Bill sponsor David Seymour.
“Anti-euthanasia activists do not have the public on their side. However, we can expect to see misinformation in this highly emotional debate.
“Opponents will point to the 16,000 negative submissions to parliament’s inquiry on the subject. They won’t mention that this represents just 0.34% of New Zealand’s population, and includes thousands of one-line submissions produced by the concerted mobilisation of churchgoers.
“Rather than focusing on a single self-selecting sample, we should accept that every major scientific poll in recent years shows clear majorities (two-thirds to three-quarters) of New Zealanders backing the right for desperately ill individuals to choose an assisted death.”
Some examples:
74% support doctors being allowed to end a patient’s life if they request it and have a painful incurable disease – Research NZ, 2015
66% support a law change to allow euthanasia – Curia, 2015
71% believe the law should be changed to allow voluntary euthanasia – Reid Research, 2015
75% felt a patient should be able to request a doctor's assistance to end their life – Colmar Brunton, 2015
“I strongly encourage every supporter of voluntary euthanasia to write to their local MP, or to the MPs of their preferred party, and ask them to support the End of Life Choice Bill at first reading.
“Undecided MPs will have the chance to review the bill’s safeguards during the committee stage. I’m confident they will find there are comprehensive protections for vulnerable New Zealanders.
“When the End of Life Choice Bill comes up for a vote, there is little excuse for MPs to ignore the views of their constituents. If they think the bill in its current form has problems, they will have the chance to put forward amendments at committee stage.”
ENDS
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