STRONG OPPOSITION TO LEGALISING EUTHANASIA, SAYS STUDY

A trial is to be held for Lower Hutt woman Susan Austen, charged with aiding a suicide
Stuff co.nz 12 May 2017
Family First Comment: The people have spoken! ?
Parliament’s health select committee received 21,277 submissions as it considered the End of Life Choice bill – the most made on any proposed piece of legislation.
The majority oppose the legalisation of euthanasia, according to an analysis of the submissions by the Care Alliance, an umbrella group opposed to law change, which includes Family First, Euthanasia Free NZ, Hospice NZ and Not Dead Yet Aotearoa.
Its research concluded that 16,411 of the submissions opposed legalisation, while 4142 supported it.
Care Alliance secretary Matthew Jansen said the submissions reflected the depth and breadth of public attitudes about euthanasia.
He said the pro-euthanasia lobby had been actively trying to cast doubt on the submissions.
“We thought that was disrespectful to the thousands of New Zealanders who took the time and effort to share their views with Parliament, for and against. So we set to work to find out the facts.”
Volunteers read every submission to record views on legalising euthanasia, the length of the submission, and whether or not religious arguments were used by the submitter.
A random sample from the full analysis was checked by independent research company Curia, headed by pro-euthanasia pollster David Farrar, Jansen said.
“The select committee has been provided with incredible testimony. We trust that they will hear that there is much more that needs to be done to improve mental health, disability and end-of-life services in New Zealand, but that the overwhelming majority of submitters say that euthanasia is not a solution.”
READ MORE: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/92501870/a-trial-is-to-be-held-for-a-woman-charged-with-aiding-a-suicide