Euthanasia is a defeat for human dignity argue the Spanish Catholic bishops. The bishops’ conference said a change in the law would affirm a self-centred view of life that proposes death as a solution to one’s problems! They also maintain the proposed law would be “bad news, since human life is not a commodity at Read more
The six New Zealand Catholic bishops are reminding people that voting does not start with entering the polling booth: “Our participation in elections is about listening to the cries of the Earth and the cries of the poor, studying carefully the proposals of political parties, praying about them, and voting with our conscience. They make Read more
End of Life Choice Act (EOLC) Referendum, is one of two referendums being held alongside the October 17 New Zealand General Election. The New Zealand Catholic bishops’ Nathaniel Centre for Bioethics is providing a series of weekly briefs for parish newsletters. The first brief says: The End of Life Choice Act is not an option Read more
John Kleinsman, director of The Nathaniel Centre for Bioethics – an agency of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference, says the conference believes it is dangerous to implement any euthanasia law. But the conference specifically takes issue with the proposed End of Life Choice Act that is the subject of the impending referendum. “I think Read more
Kiwi journalist Caralise Trayes was interviewed on RNZ Sunday about a book that she has just completed called The Final Choice. She said she was motivated to write The Final Choice after she realised she would soon have to vote in the referendum, but she did not know much about the issue. The New Zealand Read more
A controversial bill legalising voluntary euthanasia passed its final vote in Parliament. The decision was made a conscience vote, meaning MPs voted individually, rather than along party lines. So how did your MP vote on the legislation? Read more
On Wednesday night, New Zealand’s Parliament voted by a 63 to 57 majority in favour of amending David Seymour’s End of Life Choice Bill to make its acceptance conditional on a binding referendum. With the acceptance of the amendment requiring a referendum, the Bill is likely to pass the third reading in November. However, it Read more
The question for the possible euthanasia referendum should avoid euphemisms and ask directly whether Kiwis support assisted suicide, National MP Maggie Barry says. Barry, one of the fiercest critics of David Seymour’s End of Life Choice Bill, said the proposed question released on Wednesday was “misleading and too narrow”. Barry said the question was over-reliant Read more