24 April 2024,
Wayne Naylor,
Chief Executive Officer,
Hospice New Zealand.
Dear Wayne,
I would be grateful if you would kindly provide me with information on a story broadcast by Radio NZ on 23rd April 2024.
You were quoted as saying that,” the majority of hospices allowed assessment for eligibility for assisted dying to take place on site and support services were extended to families who had a loved one who use assisted dying”.
Are these assessments made by doctors employed by the hospices to provide palliative care?
You were also quoted as saying that consideration should be given to amending the End of Life Choice Act [EOLC] Act to recognise, “ right of person to have all the options laid out in front of them”.
Does Hospice NZ support the EOLC Act being amended to allow doctors to suggest to patients that a lethal injection or assistance in suicide would be appropriate care?
Thank you for all that you are doing to provide ethical palliative care for the most vulnerable in our community.
Kind regards,
Ken Orr,
Secretary,
Right to Life