Lecretia Seales Fight for the Right To Die – RNZ Interview.

Radio New Zealand’s Nine To Noon played an important interview this morning on the right to die with dignity.

Lecretia Seales is a 41 year old lawyer dying from a brain tumour. To quote the online synopsis of the interview:

She believes it is a fundamental human right that she should be able to say goodbye to her husband and family at a time of her choosing and while she remains fully conscious.

If I had this right, I wouldn’t be going out tomorrow and exercising it, but it would be comforting to know I had that right.

For our politicians whom don’t seem capable of empathy for individuals in Lecretia’s position, let’s put a face to the fight; Lecretia Seales, individual, human being, (per photo on RNZ site):

I urge you to listen to this sobering, intelligent interview below, and I defy any compassionate person to deny her this basic right:

As Lecretia’s states, despite Parliament will put legislation through regarding their salaries over just the next two, possibly three, days, and all parties are ludicrously rushing around giving interviews like this is somehow important, any legislation on assisted dying is years away, if we will get it at all given the social conservativism that seems to rule all sitting MPs currently, as well as the New Zealand Medical Association (NZMA) which has never polled its members over this issue, and with its unethical, and I would say on its own terms negligent, stance against euthanasia (noting that it is currently out of step with its UK counterpart, which did poll its membership).

It’s too late for Lecretia. It’s too late for Faye Clark. It’s too late for Rosie Mott. … I’m sick of saying it’s too late when this concerns the life and death of human beings. There is no issue in New Zealand more important than this. Not one.

I have nothing but disrespect for the Arrogance residing in OUR Fortress of Legislation.

Referring to the interview, particularly note the discussion between interviewer and interviewee at the end: the fickle path of a private members bill is not good enough for a matter so intrinsic to our lives as this is. Assisted dying legislation needs to come from responsible government: John Key has promised this, and it is not good enough he is not following through. And it’s not good enough also that his promise was only for a watered down version of Maryan Street’s very good bill.

Also noteworthy given RNZ’s Morning Report before this piece had featured voices against assisted dying from the Palliative Care Association – and sorry, that organisation has a conflict of interest here, plus their position undermined by correspondence received by Lecretia from palliative care doctors, meaning they cannot speak for all their members any more than the NZMA can – plus a representative for the disabled who interjected the fear - I call it hysteria - that it devalued her life somehow that others in her pain might choose euthanasia. To that woman I say you cannot judge someone else's unhappiness: that is arrogance. She then made the further point such law might lead to society euthanising its elderly and sick. I'm sick of this childish nonsense. Again I say it: ALL overseas evidence, from the numerous jurisdictions that allow assisted dying – search euthanasia in here and read my past posts – shows such fears have always existed before the legislation, and always been proven unfounded. Where the legislation operates the evidence shows none of the feared outcomes, killing the disabled, killing the oldies, are issues at all. Repeat: all of these fears have proven totally, note that word, totally, unfounded due to the rigiourous systems in place, and human nature actually is not Fallen, but more often that not, enlightened.

And then my point on top of this: assisted dying is voluntary, therefore, voices against, the two mentioned, but mainly the ‘your-life-belongs-to-our-barbaric-God-who-wants-you-to-suffer-unto-him crowd, do not count in this debate. They must not be allowed to force their Stone Age beliefs, or unfounded fears, on those of us rational and compassionate individuals whose right it is to have our peaceful deaths assisted by the willing, if, when our time comes, that is our want.

We’ve got to be grown up about this: we self-manage our health issues throughout our adult lives, our deaths are merely the end of that self-care process. Now will all the nanny-minded busy-bodies bugger off please.


Update 1:

Lindsay Mitchell has put up a great post highlighting the contradiction in reporting she mentions in comments to this thread (below), and more importantly, linking to the petition being circulated to try and make Parliament look at this issue. Please sign the petition, and download forms for like minded people to do also:

Lindsay's post.

Direct link to End-Of-Life-Choice petition.