Church cancels euthanasia meeting

Australian euthanasia campaigner Philip Nitschke has accused a Wellington church of attempting to silence the debate about voluntary euthanasia after it cancelled a venue booking for his organisation at the last minute.

The controversial Australian doctor is due to tour New Zealand this week to demonstrate his euthanasia drug testing kit at various venues.

The kit, developed by Dr Nitschke's company Exit International, shows if a tested sample is a barbiturate and of sufficient strength to kill.

Exit International had booked the conference centre at St John's in the City, a Presbyterian church, for a public meeting on Friday morning.

However, today the church's senior minister Reverend Allister Lane cancelled the meeting.

Dr Nitschke said he was "very disappointed" with Rev Lane's decision.

"It is one thing to disagree with our message, it is another thing entirely to attempt to silence the debate by withdrawing meeting venues."

The organisation had held a meeting at the centre last year and Dr Nitschke said there had had been no issue with the group then.

He suspected Rev Lane had been pressured to cancel the meeting.

"I strongly believe that censorship of this nature amounts to a rather disingenuous way to engage in the end of life choices debate."

St John's Session Clerk Paul Ramsay denied the church had been pressured to put a stop to the meeting.

He said the booking was cancelled because the church had just discovered the purpose of the meeting.

The person who had accepted this year's booking was not aware of Exit International's purpose, Mr Ramsay said.

"For us as a church it's something that we don't consider to be consistent with Christ's teaching and example."

Mr Ramsay apologised for the inconvenience the cancellation had caused.

It was possible the church was not aware of the content of last year's Exit meeting held by Dr Nitschke, Mr Ramsay said.

He said their booking procedures would be reviewed following this issue.

During the workshops, that begin tomorrow in Auckland, Dr Nitschke will give information on ways to obtain the euthanasia drug nembutal and the use of the nembutal test kit, access to lethal prescription drugs and the use of inert gas to provide a reliable and legal death.

- NZPA