National MP Maggie Barry and Act leader David Seymour debate the End of Life Choice Bill.

David Seymour invited Maggie Barry to include her Palliative Care Bill in his End of Life Choice Bill, saying “you have to accept that palliative care doesn’t help everybody and some people want a different choice”

Her reply: “Of course I won’t take it and do you know why? Your bill is diametrically opposed to what palliative care is all about. Palliative care seeks to care for people; your bill seeks to kill people.”

“There are no safeguards for the vulnerable. There are some criteria there and in every other country where they’ve had legislation of this kind that criteria has changed very quickly, particularly in Canada which this bill is based on here in New Zealand…
This is a seismic change in our laws and our medical practice works.”

Mr Seymour believed his bill could pass in law:

“The evidence from around the world is that these bills work and the ultimate proof of that is that no country that has had an assisted dying law – in many cases up to 20 years - has gone back.”

Please find links to the debate here: part 1 and part 2.
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