End of Life Choice Bill

The second reading of the End of Life Choice Bill is scheduled for this week. This is the second of three possible votes in the process of a Bill being passed into law.

Our territory has a history of making submissions opposing ‘end of life’ legislation. We recognise that this is a very sensitive issue for many, and that individuals will hold different views about euthanasia in general, and about this particular piece of legislation, which seems to lack some of the safeguards required to guard the most vulnerable.

The Salvation Army’s international position on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide can be found at https://www.salvationarmy.org/isjc/ips.

We encourage Salvationists – and others – to discuss the issue in order to be better informed, and to respond intentionally.

We have a wide number of resources availableat https://www.salvationarmy.org.nz/research-policy/moral-and-social-issues..., including our Talk Sheet on Euthanasia, and a guide for advocacy on this bill prepared by the Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit that summarises many of the key issues and gives advice on how you can have your say.

This page also contains The Salvation Army’s submission to the Select Committee on this particular Bill.

We would also encourage people to look at the stories on the Care Alliance website at https://carealliance.org.nz/icare/.

If you would like to join a petition against this bill, you can do that here: https://www.gopetition.com/petitions/protect-vulnerable-people-say-no-to...

If you want to let your MP know that you oppose this legislation, you can still do that even if you’ve signed the petition. Look at the SPPU guide to advocacy at at https://www.salvationarmy.org.nz/research-policy/moral-and-social-issues... for advice on how.

Thank you for engaging with an important issue in the life of our country.