Stuff co.nz 5 July 2019
Family First Comment: “The vulnerable, aged and disabled face coercion and exploitation should the End of Life Choice Bill become law in NZ, a top palliative specialist in Timaru says. Passing the bill could erode compassion, and confirms an ideology that considers some lives are not worth living even if that person sees value in it. It changes a whole moral shift that we put more value in some people’s lives than others.”
Protect.org.nz
The vulnerable, aged and disabled in South Canterbury face coercion and exploitation should the End of Life Choice Bill become law in New Zealand, a top palliative specialist in the region says.
Passing the bill could erode compassion, and confirms an ideology that considers some lives are not worth living even if that person sees value in it, Dr Catherine D’Souza says.
“It changes a whole moral shift that we put more value in some people’s lives than others.
“The people we are supposed to protect in society – the old, the vulnerable, the disabled – they’re the ones who feel the pressure and feel the lack of value in their lives.”
D’Souza, employed and shared by both South Canterbury Hospice and the District Health Board, said she has never been asked about assisted dying as yet in South Canterbury.
READ MORE: https://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/life/113898442/end-of-life-choice-bill-to-affect-societys-vulnerable-the-most-says-palliative-specialist
