Rest of us rejoice at increasing level of compassion, empathy

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Opinion

Re: Referendum website conceals killing, December 12 column.

I'm confident I speak for many in welcoming Ken Orr back into the 'End of Life Choice' Act debate.

He seems surprised that so many Labour MPs voted for the Act, but why? Recent and repeated polls, by reputable market researchers, find that well over 70 percent of New Zealanders support it — they want an end to the harrowing deaths they've witnessed and have demanded that Parliament put an end to this unnecessary cruelty.

Only those with six or less months to live and experiencing unbearable pain, unresponsive to palliation, will be eligible for physician-assisted death. Hospice authorities report they are unable to assist 6 percent of their patients, who experience severe suffering at the end of their lives.

If Mr Orr chooses to believe that the wave of legislation, either passed, or in the pipeline, is an indication that the majority sanction killing, then so be it. The rest of us rejoice in an increasing level of compassion and empathy.

It is very possible that before long, palliation will have improved to the point that physician-assisted death is no longer necessary. Countries allowing voluntary euthanasia tend to allocate more resources to palliation research — in contrast to a mentality that accepts suffering as an intrinsic part of the human condition; 'to endure or observe suffering, is to make us more human'. Who was it who said that? Perhaps Mr Orr will be able to tell us?

What is it that drives him and other opponents of this Act to accept with equanimity that a small number of New Zealanders are at present dying in agony?

Patricia Butler, Nelson