No more will die, and fewer will suffer. That's the belief of Wanganui supporters of euthanasia who are encouraging debate and discussion around the contentious issue.
Three local members of the Voluntary Euthanasia Society of New Zealand told the Chronicle why they would like to see legislation allowing medically-assisted suicide to be made available in certain circumstances.
All three have had experiences around death and dying - Lyneke Onderwater and Mari Jay had relatives who struggled during the dying process, while Sue Walkinton was a palliative nurse for 20 years.
The three don't agree on exactly what euthanasia legislation should look like, but they agree New Zealanders need to discuss the issues around mercy killing. Euthanasia is already legal in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland and in four states in the United States, while judges in Canada recently overturned the ban on euthanasia in that country.
An attempt was made to overturn the ban on euthanasia in New Zealand when former Labour MP Maryan Street introduced the End Of Life Choice Bill into the parliamentary ballot. She withdrew it when she realised it would have no support.