Letters: Prime Minister must look after herself to take care of country

Heather du Plessis-Allan. Photo / Supplied

Heather du Plessis-Allan (March 22) criticises the Prime Minister for disrupting programmes when she addressed the country, using a private plane, and generally said her people were playing politics.

We are in a major crisis. We need the PM to keep us informed and she is doing this admirably and it is important that she has media time to do so as a matter of urgency. It goes without saying that she will interrupt normal programmes. So what, when we face a crisis? And travelling in a private plane? She had to, or risk catching the virus. She must look after her health, for the good of the country. Heather is just having a go at the PM for no good reason.
Allan Hall, Inner Kaiti

Unrelenting attacks

New Zealanders have to wonder what motivates Heather du Plessis-Allan in her constant, unrelenting attacks on our Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern. Is it jealousy? Does she resent Jacinda's strength, ability, looks, compassion, incisiveness? Is it Jacinda's youth? Or, heaven forbid, is it the fact she is a woman demonstrating such brilliant leadership? Normally, cause for rejoicing, surely?
Derek John, Orewa

Manners

Please, Claire Trevett, take a little time to spend with Heather du Plessis-Allan.You could teach her some manners and what it takes to be a real journalist.

She could do with your help. Her persistent biased comments about our Prime Minister are pathetic.
John F Heynen, Auckland

Messed up

Jacinda should own up to screwing over four million Kiwis. Had the airport isolated all arrivals, in one place, we would never have to be penalised for the selfish actions of a few. Test them then let them move on. Jacinda, you messed up big time.
Gail Hill, Mission Bay

Thou shalt not ...

John Hampson quotes the Bible as saying "Thou shalt not kill", as a biblical authority to oppose medically assisted dying (Letters, March 22). The correct interpretation of this phrase according to linguistic experts is "Thou shalt not murder".

Various translations have now changed to this wording, e.g. New English Bible , Good News Bible. Murder is different from killing. It implies malevolence, is totally unwanted, and illegal. "Killing" can occur in legitimate circumstances. We do not call that "murder". Nor would we call it "murder", when a compassionate act helping a person to die is done at their request.

The medical practitioner relieves irremediable suffering in a person nearing death — that is not murder.
Dr Jack Havill, Hamilton

Fundamentalist views

Correspondents Jack Havill and Graham Yearsley's views on Christians' position on death with dignity (Letters, March 15) confuse mainstream Christian positions with fundamentalist ones. Mainstream Christianity believes individuals' conscience has primacy, but that followers are obliged to inform their consciences first. Simply, the principle life be respected at all stages is the basis of its call for a "consistent ethic of life" along with practical means to sustain it.

Reasonable warnings against unintended consequences, which have occurred in countries that have legislated for doctor-patient choice — include ways around safeguards. Church authorities raising these concerns are surely concerned about the same freedom Yearsley favours. Our Oregon-based legislation is not Belgium's with cases where family were not consulted when parents were euthanised.

A still unresolved view is whether unbearable pain — or its fear — remains within professional care.

The 6 per cent figure quoted as the International Palliative Care Association figure (but not New Zealand's) was contradicted by Auckland's Medical School emeritus professor of geriatrics David Richmond, using latest Australia-derived statistics. Can this be clarified — or challenged — by our medical authorities?
Steve Liddle, Napier