Lesley Martin is a trustee of Dignity NZ, an organisation that backs the legalisation of voluntary euthanasia. Here she shares her views on the case of Margaret Page, who is trying to starve herself to death.
As a woman reaches her twelfth day without food in an attempt to starve herself to death, an academic survey has been released showing significant public support for letting doctors help end patients' life.
The debate on the ethics of medically-assisted suicide has been brought into the spotlight by the case of Wellington woman Margaret Page, who is refusing to eat or drink after saying she does not want to keep living.
A Massey University study, published this month, asked 935 New Zealanders between July and November 2009 whether they supported letting a doctor end a patient's life if requested to do so.
It found that 70 per cent of New Zealanders supported assisted suicide for someone with a painful incurable disease, provided a doctor gives the assistance.
However, support dropped to about 45 per cent if the person was not in pain or did not have an incurable disease, and opposition doubled from 20 per cent to 40 per cent.
Professor Philip Gendall, head of the research team, said the survey results suggested that many people's attitudes to euthanasia depended on how much pain a person was going through.
One in five New Zealanders did not believe assisted suicide should ever be allowed, while more than two in five believed that as long as the patient wanted it, it should be legal.
The rest of the population either had no firm view or their opinion depended on the particular circumstances of the patient and who was giving them assistance, Dr Gendall said.
The specific wording of the questions asked and the responses to them were:
* Suppose a person has a painful incurable disease. Do you think that doctors should be allowed by law to end the patient's life if the patient requests it?
Yes: 69 per cent
No: 19 per cent
Don't Know: 12 per cent
* Suppose a person has an incurable disease, but with medication is not in pain. Do you think that doctors should be allowed by law to end the patient's life if the person requests it?
Yes: 45 per cent
No: 39 per cent
Don't Know: 16 per cent
* Suppose a person is not in pain and does not have an incurable disease but is permanently and completely dependent on others for all their physical needs. Do you think that doctors should be allowed by law to end the patient's life if the person requests it?
Yes: 44 per cent
No: 39 per cent
Don't Know: 18 per cent
The survey sampled respondents from the Electoral Roll and had a response rate of 44 per cent
- NZHERALD STAFF
