Right to Life believes that the End of Life Choice Act 2019 is an unjust law that fails to protect life, violates the common good, lacks legitimacy, should not be obeyed and must be repealed.

An unjust law is a law that is a human law that is not founded on eternal law and natural law. We have a duty to obey human made laws but when they disobey God’s law they must be disobeyed and repealed.

The EOLC Act violates the moral law because it violates God’s fifth Commandment, Thou shalt not kill. Parliament has no authority to violate God’s law.

It violates Article three of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.”The preamble of the Declaration advises that our right to life is inalienable and universal, being inalienable we may not have it taken from us nor may we give it up.

It violates the New Zealand Bill of Rights 1993, Article 8, “Right not to be deprived of life.”

The Euthanasia referendum also undermines the EOLC Act’s legitimacy for the following reasons:-

• The “yes” vote for the referendum was 65.2 per cent. It is believed that only one in five who voted yes had actually read the Act.
• Right to Life believes that many of those who voted yes were grossly misinformed. The government MPs, who were overwhelmingly in support of the new law, claimed to be neutral, but conducted a campaign of misinformation about the referendum.

A poll conducted in New Zealand between 31 October and 6 November, 2019, by Curia Marketing on behalf of Euthanasia Free New Zealand revealed the following disturbing findings on what the End of Life Choice Bill would deal with or allow to be legalised:

• 85% thought that it included turning off life support

• 79% thought it included ‘do not resuscitate’ (no CPR) requests

• 67% thought it included the stopping of medical tests, treatments and surgeries.

Why did the government refuse to address this widespread misunderstanding of the referendum?

The End of Life Choice Act is NOT about, nor does it make legal the action of turning off life support, to make a 'do not resuscitate request (no CPR) or to stop medical treatment. All of these end of life choices are already legal, are not euthanasia and this new law does not change these actions.

The End of Life Choice Act is NOT about pain relief. It is already legal for a doctor to give a person enough medication to address their pain and make them comfortable, even if this may hasten their death as a side effect, as the doctor seeks to neither hasten or cause the death of his patient.

Right to Life invites all in the community who wish to protect the right to life of the most vulnerable to join with us in working for the repeal of the EOLC Act.

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