The question of whether terminally or irredeemably ill people should be allowed to choose to end their own life is to be decided in Parliament.
David Seymour's End of Life Choice Bill has been pulled from the private members' ballot to be voted upon by MPs.
The Bill is likely to be a conscience vote. More... (Newshub)
ACT Leader David Seymour is deeply disappointed at certain National MPs’ choice to veto debate on the End of Life Choice Bill.
“National MPs’ blockage of the debate is a sad display of political sidestepping. Acknowledging the most critical issues faced by New Zealanders is literally what MPs are paid to do. But thanks to the actions of certain MPs today, we don’t even get a debate." More... (ACT New Zealand)
Canada's Liberal government on Thursday (Friday NZ Time) unveiled draft legislation on doctor-assisted suicide which would apply to adults suffering incurable illness or disability but stopped short of extending it to minors or the mentally ill for now. More... (Stuff.co.nz)
Lecretia Seales was the Herald's New Zealander of the Year in 2015 for her campaign to legalise assisted dying. Her mother Shirley Seales talks about nursing Lecretia through the last few months of her life. (More... NZ Herald)
Brittany Maynard was dying of brain cancer when she decided to drink a lethal prescription to end her life. She was just 29 years old. Her decision made her a symbol in the debate about how much we should be able to control the time and manner of our own death. More... (CBS News)
Rachel Rypma celebrated her 40th birthday last August, but is adamant she does not want a 41st.
At 24, the Christchurch woman discovered she had the neurodegenerative genetic disorder Huntington's Disease. At the time, she lived in Sydney with her partner, Gabe Rypma, pregnant and full of hope. Today, she lives alone in a care home in Christchurch and wants to die. She wants people to know what it is like for her, and hear her plea. More... (Stuff.co.nz)
In the days leading up to the closure of the Health Select Committee's inquiry into assisted dying, Stuff.co.nz is hosting a series of background articles, personal stories, opinion pieces, and live chats dealing with end-of-life issues. More... (Stuff.co.nz)
New Zealanders have a week left to let Parliament know their views on the deeply polarising issue of voluntary euthanasia.
Lecretia Seales' legal challenge has led to some politicians pushing for a new law to allow doctors to help end the life of certain patients, and Parliament's health committee has launched an inquiry and called for public feedback.
Nicholas Jones explores the background of the debate in New Zealand so far. More... (NZ Herald)
The first case of legal euthanasia in Canada has been announced by authorities in Quebec. The patient, whose condition was not disclosed, was given a lethal injection in a Quebec City hospital after a change in provincial law in December.
A spokeswoman for the health and social services centre said it was not clear if it was the only state-sanctioned death under the new laws because Quebec does not currently keep such statistics. It comes as the Supreme Court of Canada decided on Friday to allow doctor-assisted suicide across the country under certain circumstances, while giving the government more time to pass a law governing the practice. More... (The Daily Mail)
The euthanasia debate has fired up again with an alliance of religious and medical groups urging caution after a euthanasia campaigner called for more submissions to Parliament in support of a change in the law. Following a petition to Parliament to consider voluntary euthanasia, its health select committee is taking public submissions on the matter, and they close in two weeks on February 1.
Matt Vickers, whose wife Lecretia Seales died from a brain tumour while campaigning for euthanasia, is calling on people to make a submission. More... (One News)