Up to nine assisted deaths in first month of new law, but officials won't give true figure
Hannah Martin14:51, Dec 09 2021
Potentially as many as nine New Zealanders have had assisted deaths in the first month
it has been legal, but health officials refuse to say what the actual number is.
The End of Life Choice Act
came into force on November 7, enabling eligible, terminally ill New Zealanders to choose to end their lives; after
two-thirds (65.1 per cent) of Kiwis voted it through in last year's referendum.
The Ministry of Health told
Stuff the number of assisted deaths under the Act to date is “fewer than 10”. But the Ministry repeatedly refused to disclose the true number.
123RF
Assisted dying has been available in New Zealand for a month, after the End of Life Choice Act came into force on November 7.
The End of Life Choice Act states which facts can't be published around assisted deaths.
READ MORE:
* Two formal applications made for assisted dying in 10 days it has been legal
* Assisted dying now legal in New Zealand, End of Life Choice Act a 'huge relief' for some
* Kāpiti man prepares for his own death as euthanasia law begins
The number of deaths is not one of them.
Despite that, a Ministry spokesman cited various reasons for refusing to make the number of deaths public – saying it's “highly emotive” and “the service is new”.
Any assisted deaths would represent a significant moment in New Zealand history, as the first to have happened legally.
“Because this can be a highly emotive matter and people’s privacy needs to be maintained, we won’t be in a position, at this stage, to provide further updates on application and any assisted death numbers while the service is new and the numbers are small,” the Ministry spokesman said by email.
The Privacy Act doesn’t generally apply after death, as the Act defines personal information as being about an identifiable, living person.
Stuff told the Ministry there was also no intention to identify anyone.
What the legislation
explicitly prohibits is publication of the method by which the lethal medication was administered in an assisted death, the place where the medication was administered and the name of the person who administered the medication, or, their employer.
To be eligible for
assisted dying under the Act, a person (over the age of 18) must have a terminal illness likely to end their life within six months. They must have significant and ongoing decline in physical capability and experience unbearable suffering which cannot be eased in a manner
they find tolerable.
A person
cannot access assisted dying solely because they have a mental disorder or mental illness, have a disability or are of advanced age.
Based on overseas experiences, the Ministry of Health estimates up to 950 people could apply for assisted dying each year, with up to 350 being assisted to die.
There is uncertainty about what the actual demand will be, but the number is expected to be small.
Iain McGregor/Stuff
The Ministry of Health says there have been “fewer than 10” assisted deaths in Aotearoa, but would not release the true number.
Stuff earlier reported there had been
two formal applications made in the first 10 days assisted dying was available. At the time (as of November 18), the Ministry said there had been no assisted deaths anywhere in New Zealand.
This week, a Ministry spokesman said there “continues to be interest” in the new service and there are active enquiries.
However, he said the Ministry would “not be in a position” to report the number of assisted deaths provided under the new law until the three-month mark, when “they are likely to be higher, and there will be fewer concerns around privacy”.
When asked to explain, the Ministry did not say what position it needed to be in to release the information.
