About Euthanasia-Free NZ Inc.
Euthanasia-Free NZ Inc. is a nationwide network of individuals in New Zealand from diverse professional and social backgrounds, with diverse philosophical and political beliefs.
We care about suffering people.
We believe that the legalisation of euthanasia and assisted suicide poses a great threat to the well-being of our society. As individuals we have diverse reasons why we have arrived at this view.
We are a single-issue, secular, non-profit organisation. We have no official position on any other social or political issue.
We will work with anyone who opposes the legalisation of euthanasia and assisted suicide, for any reason, and irrespective of their views on other issues.
Originally we were founded as Euthanasia Debate NZ.
Euthanasia-Free NZ is a member of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition International. However, we are an independent organisation in our own right. We have no affiliation with any other organisation in New Zealand or overseas.
What we stand for
The right to palliative care
Every person is entitled to access excellent palliative care, allowing them to die comfortably, peacefully, with dignity, and with their pain controlled.
Palliative care is a patient-centred approach that aims to meet the physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs of the dying person and their family. It includes appropriate treatments in effective doses to address pain and other symptoms.
The right to refuse medical intervention
Every person has the right to refuse medical tests, treatment, resuscitation and/or life support.
These choices are not euthanasia or ‘assisted dying’.
There is an ethical difference between euthanasia and the withdrawal of medical intervention.
The right to natural death without pressure
Every person is entitled to die a natural death, free from any subtle or overt pressure to end their life prematurely.
Freedom from fear
Each disabled, sick and elderly person is entitled to freedom from the fear that their quality of life would be judged as too poor to support.
Such judgments could make people vulnerable to euthanasia without their explicit request.
Clear terminology
We stand for a fair debate, based on proper legal terms that are well-defined.
Euphemisms such as “medical aid in dying”, “assisted dying”, “dying with dignity”, “end-of-life choice” and “right to die” are misleading. (See the 2017 Curia poll.)
Instead, we support the use of “euthanasia” and “assisted suicide”.
Informed debate
Every person is entitled to information about the negative side-effects and unintentional consequences of the legalisation of voluntary euthanasia and/or assisted suicide in other jurisdictions.