'It would be horrific if it didn't go through. Horrific': Terminally ill woman advocating for Act's euthanasia bill

Reporter·NZ Herald·

19 Feb, 2018 05:05 AM4 mins to read

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A terminally ill woman says if Act's euthanasia bill doesn't pass its next reading, she may go to Wellington in person to give Parliament a piece of her mind.

Bobbie Carroll is 64 and dying of blood cancer.

She is one of five advocates for the Act party's End of Life Choice bill to appear on video in a new campaign, #MyLifeMyChoice.

New Zealander of the Year doctor Lance O'Sullivan, Lecretia Seales' widower Matt Vickers, David Seymour (not the MP) who has Motor Neurone Disease and Rachel Rijpma, who has Huntington's disease, feature on the remaining four videos.

Vickers was married to Wellington lawyer Seales, who asked the High Court in March 2015 to give her the legal right for a doctor to help end her life.

She wanted the right to choose to not die a painful death. On June 5, soon after being told that her court bid was unsuccessful, Seales died of her illness. She was 42.

Matt Vickers (right) with wife Lecretia Seales on their wedding day. Vickers features in a campaign to support ACT's euthanasia bill. Photo / Supplied

During an emotional speech at a media conference in Auckland on Monday afternoon, Carroll said she alone should make the choice about when her life would end.

"It is cruel to allow anyone to die in a vegetative state."

Dying after becoming so sick you could not speak or recognise loved ones was not dying with dignity, Carroll said.

Carroll and her partner Julia Woodhouse "fought like billy-o" for marriage equality and they would do the same now.

What she feared most was dying alone - if Carroll could choose, she'd have a party to celebrate her death, surrounded by her partner of 40 years, their children and grandchildren.

David Seymour comforts Bobbie Carroll at the #MyLifeMyChoice campaign launch. Both are suffering terminal illness and support ACT's euthanasia bill. Photo / Greg Bowker

"It would be horrific if [the bill] didn't go through. Horrific. I'd probably go down to Wellington," she said.

David Seymour shares a name with the Act leader fronting the bill and has been diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease.

"I'll go with you," he said to Carroll.

The pair shook hands on it.

Seymour said his future would entail a deterioration eventually leaving him bed bound, dependant on the care of others.

At that point he wanted to be allowed to die.

The Whangarei resident, who traveled to Auckland with his wife Rachel for the launch of the My Life My Choice Campaign today, said people who had not been diagnosed with a terminal illness needed to listen to those who had on the subject of assisted dying.

"I believe we need the choice," he said.

David Seymour, a sufferer of Motor Neuron Disease, shakes the hand of ACT leader David Seymour at the #MyLifeMyChoice Campaign launch. Photo / Greg Bowker

ACT leader and Epsom MP David Seymour said he hoped Kiwis would be moved by the "courage and determination" of those featured in the campaign videos.

"The goal of this campaign is to continue highlighting the inadequacy of our current laws as a select committee deliberates on my End of Life Choice Bill."

The party would be rolling each video out on social media over the next week or so and each video ended asking the public to call their local MP to express support for the bill.

LANCE O'SULLIVAN ADDS SUPPORT

Doctor Lance O'Sullivan explains why he supports ACT's End of Life Choice bill in a new video campaign. Photo / Supplied

In his campaign video, O'Sullivan explains his support of the bill stems in part from learning after the death of a young terminally ill patient that she had wanted him to end her suffering.

Her mother had not passed the message on, because it was illegal for O'Sullivan to act on the request.

"We can allow people to have the opportunity to die with complete dignity."