Why does Stuff & the Media Council support suicide?

Media Release 28 July 2025

New Zealand is facing a crisis in care for those suffering from dementia, the number is expected to double to 170,000 in 2050. In view of the support of Stuff and the Media Council for the presumed suicide of Maurice Gee out of fear of developing dementia, will they be supporting suicide and euthanasia as “health care” for those suffering dementia?

Right to life is disappointed that Stuff and the Media Council believe that Maurice Gee had a right to commit suicide.

Suicide is self - murder, it is intrinsically evil, it violates the 5th Commandment of God, and it gives grave offence to our Creator. It wounds families and communities. There is no human right to suicide. It is an appalling tragedy for our nation that

there were 617 suicides reported in New Zealand for the year ending 30th June 2024.

Maurice Gee was a distinguished New Zealander, he was presumably not suffering from a terminal illness nor was he dying or in insufferable pain.He was, however, fearful of the threat of dementia.

Right to Life submitted a complaint to the editor of The Press on 21 June 2025 following the publication of an article on Maurice Gee’s death, which supported his presumed suicide. The article was titled “A writer who understood us and forgave.” This article was also published in the other 9 Stuff daily newspapers.

The editor responded claiming that the article did not promote suicide, she claimed, with reference to his suicide,

“It is not for us, nor others, to argue over whether this was the right decision.”

It is appalling that Stuff Media refused to defend life by condemning the act of suicide.

A complaint against Stuff Media about this article was submitted to the Media Council on 26 June 2025.

The Media Council responded on 25th July to our complaint that the article supported suicide. The Council decided that Right to Life did not have grounds for a complaint and declined to proceed. The Council stated it did not agree that the article should have included an anti-suicide message.

“Tagging such objections onto a eulogy would be entirely out if keeping with a story designed to paint a full picture of a man and his pragmatic and unpretentious attitude to his life.”

Right to Life fully supports the government’s “Suicide Prevention Strategy.”

The elimination of the scourge of suicide in our community requires the co-operation of every person in our community and especially that of the news media.

Ken Orr,

Spokesperson,

Right to Life New Zealand Inc.