New Zealand has voted to legalise euthanasia, a move that makes it only the 7th nation in the world to do so. The law was ratified after a referendum was held on the subject, in which 65.9% of voters voted in support. The law will allow terminally ill people to end their own lives or allow others to help them end their lives without fear of prosecution. It will be enacted from November 2021.
There are, however, certain restrictions on who is able to end their own life. These include making euthanasia only available to those who have less than 6 months less to live, those who are able to make an informed choice about their decision, and those who have a significant decline in their ability to function. This means certain people who may wish to end their lives will not be able to do so, this includes people who are extremely old, those suffering from sever mental illness or addiction and those suffering from disability alone.
Matt Vickers, campaigned for a yes vote in the referendum after his wife Lecretia Seales died of a brain tumour 5 years ago, he praised the victory and said of his wife's situation:
"She didn't want to die. No one does. That's a popular misconception. The problem was the choice to live had been taken away. She wanted a choice on how death happens so if things got bad she could end the suffering at the time she wanted."
Mr. Vickers has campaigned long and hard on the basis that those facing terminal illness should be able to take their lives at a time of their own choosing. A previous legal battle he launched to allow his wife to die failed when it was taken to court.
Euthanasia is currently legal in Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Luxembourg, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Certain states in the United States and Australia also permit the practice. While many are supportive of the bill some fear that the new law could be used to force people into ending their lives because they feel that they are a burden to their families, or that to die would be for the greater good. Others fear that those without a proper understanding of the situation may be persuaded into taking their own lives and that focus should instead be put on palliative care and other treatments.
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