Donnelly and Seymour appeared on TV3's Newshub Nation on Saturday morning.

Donnelly said the proposed Act is a "dangerous law" that will put the lives of 25,000 vulnerable people at risk.

"I think that it would be a lot more respectable if instead of making up these kinds of what I call 'false objections' if Dr Donnelly came here and said 'this choice is against my religion, and I don't want other people to be able to make that choice'.

"It would be a lot more respectable if she would say that," Seymour said in reply.

Donnelly was visibly shocked.

"That's a disgraceful, sectarian comment.

"I have 25 years of experience in palliative medicine, I speak from a professional point of view, I'm an associate professor of palliative medicine, research and education, I've worked in four different countries - so I speak from that platform and that experience.

"I deeply care for people - that's all I care about. Four generations of doctors in my family... I know we can relieve their suffering through palliative care.

"Palliative care works".

Donnelly said Seymour's comments were "bigotry at its utmost".

"I've travelled literally from Kerikeri to Gore campaigning for this law," Seymour said.

"I've heard the stories of New Zealanders who have seen bad death. No matter how much people try to say 'just a bit more palliative care, it's going to be okay' they know what they've seen. They want to have that choice of dignity and control.

"It's their life - it should be their choice. It's not up to others to tell them that they should stick around a bit more to fit someone else's morality."

Donnelly explained some of the common objections to the proposed law.

These include fears people will be coerced into ending their own lives. She also pointed out that some people make miraculous recoveries after being close to death.

"Prognostication is an estimate... we get it wrong most of the time. Even within a few days of death."

"Families often ask 'how long have they got to live?'

"We generally say we're not sure, we don't know... It's not as if we plug in the patient's details into a computer and out pops a date of death," Donnelly said.

Source

• Newshub
• Image: Newshub

The letter has been signed by 1061 doctors, of the 17,000 registered doctors in New Zealand.

Medical Association chair Dr Kate Baddock agreeds with the letter and the majority of their more than 5000 members oppose euthanasia.

MP David Seymour's End of Life Choice Bill is expected to have its second reading in parliament on Wednesday.

He says the Bill will likely pass on Wednesday and the contents of the letter are not new.

However, MPs opposing the bill are planning to put up more than 100 amendments that could push its possible passage well into next year.

The letter's signatories endorse the views of the World Medical Association and New Zealand Medical Association, that euthanasia is unethical, even if made legal.

The doctors said they were "committed to the concept of death with dignity and comfort", including effective pain relief and excellence in palliative care. And they uphold the right of patients to decline treatment.

Palliative care specialist, Dr Sinead Donnelly, who organised the letter, said the bill changes the relationship between a doctor and their patient.

Donnelly said she had a message for MPs.

"As doctors, we don't want to be part of it, you're going to, in our view, destroy the profession of medicine by drawing us in to ending the life of our patients."

Baddock said their stance was in line with the international response.

"In the World Medical Association, some 119 countries belong and over 90 per cent of them are completely against euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide," she said.

If New Zealand was to adopt assisted dying, Baddock said the Medical Association will be advocating for a policy like Switzerland, where doctors are not involved in the process at all.

Source

• rnz.co.nz
• rnz.co.nz
• nzherald.co.nz
• scoop.co.nz
• nzherald.co.nz
• Image: quora.com

Melbourne-based urological surgeon Dr Rodney Syme believes that choosing when and how a person dies is a human right and says that he expects physician-assisted death to be made legal within the next decade.

Syme, who is visiting New Zealand for the Voluntary Euthanasia Society's annual conference, admits helping hundreds of people to end their lives on their own terms.

In the Ideas programme on Radio New Zealand National on Sunday June 9 Dr Sinead Donnelly, a palliative care specialist, said euthanasia "puts the soul of medicine on trial".

Carole Sweney, the president of the Voluntary Euthanasia Society of New Zealand, and Rodney Syme were also interviewed.

Bills supporting voluntary euthanasia have twice been debated by Parliament and twice voted down. But opinion polls show the majority of the public now support euthanasia and the last time it was debated in Parliament it was defeated by just two votes.

With Labour MP Maryan Street's End of Life Choice members bill in the ballot the issue could be debated again at any time.

Source

• TVNZ
• Radio New Zealand National
• Image: Stuff.co.nz