Pharmac wants to know: Should young people be able to jump queues for costly drugs at the expense of older people who’ve already had a long life? Are poor people more deserving of help than rich people”? The proposals are among a raft of provocative questions being asked by Pharmac as it conducts a consultation Read more
The Abortion Supervisory Committee’s latest report has expressed concerns over abortion consultants, their families and patients being the target of harrassment. The committee is particularly concerned that women seeking fertility assistance have been caught up in the anti-abortion protests. In particular, the Report singles out “harassment of medical staff is taking place in Invercargill resulting Read more
Papua New Guinea’s government plans to distribute a cheaper, long-lasting and more effective female contraceptive. The Sino-Implant is composed of two thin, flexible, silicone rods, each containing 75mg of levonorgestrel (a synthetic form of the hormone progestin). The size of a match stick, it is inserted under the skin of a woman’s arm by a Read more
New Zealanders are so happy the Valerie Adams has got her Gold. Some of them are angry about the cheating. One high profile commentator has even got himself into trouble for an “expletive-laden tweet calling for Olympics drug cheat Nadzeya Ostapchuk to hand over her shot put gold medal.” Was Ostapchuk just unlucky? The former Read more
The chief executive of the Southern District Health Board has ‘stated that “abortion services would be provided closer to home”, no doubt meaning at Southland Hospital’, according to Norman MacLean, who opposes the introduction of such services. He says that the introduction of abortion services brings a “conflict of conscience” for many staff members, is opposed Read more
Government-paid funerals for organ donors is one idea being floated to encourage Kiwis to donate. Andy Tookey from GiveLife NZ, a organisation that advocates for a more effective organ donor system, says those who donate need to be rewarded. In a statement released today, Tookey said he believes organ donors funerals should be paid for Read more
Legalising euthanasia would introduce a whole new, and dangerous, dimension to society, said the New Zealand Catholic Bishops. One of the dangers is that the demand for euthanasia cannot be limited to a carefully defined group and vulnerable members of the community would be put at risk. Archbishop John Dew, President of the New Zealand Read more