Euthanasia advocate dispels 'myths'

An advocate of euthanasia has spoken in Whangarei.

The carefree sound of children playing provided the soundtrack to a serious discussion when the architect of voluntary euthanasia in Holland spoke in Whangarei yesterday.

Rob Jonquiere addressed 125 people at the public meeting at Forum North about the right, practice and issues involved in the right to choose assisted death.

Meanwhile, in the hall next door to the meeting in the Cafler Suite, dozens of children played in a creche and activities area while their parents attended an Arise Church service in the Capitaine Bougainville Theatre.

Dr Jonquiere, who is in New Zealand on a speaking tour about the right to choose death in the end stages of incurable and painful illness, was in town at the invitation of the Whangarei End of Life Focus Group.

That group is part of the Voluntary Euthanasia Society of New Zealand movement trying to raise awareness of the subject and have the matter addressed at legislative level.

Dr Jonquiere started his talk with the message: "Medically assisted dying completes the continuum of end-of-life care".

He said people made choices throughout their adult lives - whom to marry, where to live and work, how to raise children, etc. "Why can't we choose to die when the alternative is a living death?"

He said there were many myths about euthanasia with the word itself implying a forced, rather than self-chosen, end to life.

Dr Jonquiere said in the Netherlands the word meant deliberate termination of life by someone who requested it, carried out by a doctor after the choice was well determined and approved in a process involving a medical team.

The right to request assisted death was considered part of the end stage, not instead of, palliative care, Dr Jonquiere said. Palliative care and end-of-life processes were integrated into the Netherland's health system.

Several people in the audience said they were there to learn more about the subject; others said they or loved ones would choose medically assisted death now if it were legal. During a question and discussion session, a few people spoke out against assisted-dying being allowed under any circumstances.

Dr Jonquiere was challenged as having "dubious ethics" and being "a murderer" for helping patients die at their request. When one person declared life to be "God's sacred gift" the doctor was applauded when he agreed "that life is indeed a gift and that a gift may be graciously returned with thanks".