Media Statement
For Immediate release
9 April 2019

Confused report still doesn’t understand disabled peoples’ risk from euthanasia

The Select Committee’s report on David Seymour’s End of Life Choice Bill comes with the committee saying it cannot agree to pass it, but Not Dead Yet Aotearoa is deeply disturbed that it still shows so little understanding of the risk disabled people face from such legislation.

“In two or three brief paragraphs, the committee gives a very simplistic understanding of disabled peoples’ arguments and concerns” says Not Dead Yet Aotearoa spokesperson Wendi Wicks. “It is from a very individual-story perspective and is based on the same sad old stereotypes about disabled lives-the suffering, the indignity the less-ness - that make our living so infernally difficult; that makes euthanasia a totally reasonable, desireable option”.

“The Select Committee had a real opportunity to learn how disabled people are actually living well despite the impediments of paternalistic systems, supports and shonky thinking about us. Sadly it did not discernibly do that, so we are still at collective risk from euthanasia legislation.”

“This bill must be withdrawn now says Wendi Wicks. New Zealanders do not need the bad law that this bill would enact, and parliament has a duty not to enact bad law for a privileged few but good law for all its citizens”. ENDS

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