Letters: Satire galling to Christians

THE latest confirmed data in the New Zealand Census indicates that 1,858,977 New Zealand residents answer to being Christian. This number includes members of particular denominations and those who prefer not to state, but all Christian.

Some New Zealanders hold various beliefs or choose not to believe, which is their prerogative. The cartoon on page 6 of the Whanganui Chronicle, Saturday April 20 to Sunday April 21, would be deemed by tens of thousands of Christians in New Zealand to be rude and insensitive.

In a little over a month since the tragic shootings in Christchurch, roundly condemned by the majority of New Zealanders, your paper chooses to include a cartoon to coincide with one of the Christian faith's most sacred festivals, Easter, to portray politicians being crucified. It matters not which party the politicians represent, the cartoon would have been equally offensive regardless of the party.

During the Easter season the vast majority of Christians remember the crucifixion of Christ on our behalf.

Not only did your newspaper choose to mock Christians in such a profane manner, for some reason you did not choose to bring the readers of the Whanganui Chronicle a report of the traditional carrying of the Cross around Whanganui East.

What a shame so much of the content of our local and regional newspaper appears to be dictated by editorial staff outside Whanganui.

REV GRAHAM JUDEN
Whanganui

Health care choices

I am glad that a binding referendum will be held on David Seymour's assisted dying bill if it passes second and third readings. This is democratic rather than paternalistic.

The "vulnerable" group that Paula Salisbury describes in her letter "Protect the vulnerable" (April 22), participates freely in many types of personal decision-making: what medical care they will accept and what they will reject, who they will partner with, how many children they will have and so on.

These decisions sometimes have an adverse result, even in a life-threatening or life-ending result.

What should we do? Remove all personal decision-making from them in case they take a decision we don't agree with?

The bill already has good safeguards for vulnerable people. As it progresses through Parliament, these will be even further enhanced thanks to those who submitted thoughtful recommendations for improvement, instead of scaremongering to get the bill scuppered outright.

The referendum (if it happens) will merely be an endorsement of what Parliament has already decided by passing the bill at its third reading.

ANN DAVID
Waikanae

Easter trading

Who else, enjoying their preferred form of entertainment at licensed premises on Sunday, was forced to order a pricey unwanted "meal" in order to enjoy an expensive dash of pinot noir?

Clearly, the council hypocrites who vote for this ongoing absurdity, with the Easter trading ban, favour the very small minority of NZers who get their entertainment at Easter Mass where they enjoy a gratis drop of communion wine a.k.a. someone's blood and a bite to eat a.k.a. that same long-dead someone's flesh.

It's only five months till council elections and time for candidates who think this is a good idea to raise their hands. And, especially you church-goers, please spare us the "family time" nonsense this time.

CAROL WEBB
Whanganui

Euthanasia bill

It is not the opponents of the End of Life Choice Bill who are spreading "misinformation", it is David Seymour himself.

Seymour has deliberately turned a blind eye to all the valid concerns about the practice of euthanasia overseas. All the jurisdictions involved report serious abuses; whether from the continual extension of categories or from the steady stream of involuntary deaths.

In the Belgian region of Flanders, a study has revealed about 30 per cent of all euthanasia deaths occur without request.

It is for precisely these reasons that the vast majority of euthanasia bills fail. Out of 37 bills since 2015, 30 were defeated — which is exactly what should happen to this dangerous bill.

MOIRA FLORESTA
Kaukapakapa

Send your letters to: The Editor, Whanganui Chronicle, 100 Guyton St, PO Box 433, Whanganui 4500; or email editor@wanganuichronicle.co.nz