Photo by ANDREW GORRIE/Dominion Post

Christian groups are appalled at defence of Dr Death

Christian groups are appalled at reports that Australian euthanasia advocate Dr Philip Nitschke has defended the right of a New Zealand woman who was not terminally ill to kill herself, reports Lavinia Ngatoko, special to ASSIST News Service.

Dr Nitschke, who left New Zealand last weekend [February 3] after hosting a series of meetings around the country, has rejected reports he helped the woman end her life.

The 68-year-old Wellington woman killed herself 11 months after returning from Mexico in 2005 with lethal drugs she had brought into New Zealand.

The Sunday Star Times recently reported that Dr Nitschke, better known as Dr Death, said the woman, who was said to be depressed, had obviously made an assessment and decided her life was not worth living any more.

Dr Nitschke had sent her information on how and where to obtain the class C drug phenobarbitone (nembutal), now available only in veterinary surgeries in New Zealand.

News reports quoted Dr Nitschke as saying that providing people with accurate information was a far cry from what most people would consider as assisting (in a death).

Right to Life’s Ken Orr disputed this, saying the fact that Dr Nitschke had sent the woman photographs telling her where to buy Nembutal in Mexico obviously meant he had “assisted her.”

That she was not suffering from a terminal illness made the case even more tragic, he said.

Mr Orr said Dr Nitschke’s actions had only served to expose his group, Exit International, for what it really was.

“They are promoting suicide for people of any age or any condition. It’s all about a culture of death,” said Mr Orr.

He said Exit International’s website, which describes the group as “the pro-choice voluntary euthanasia/ assisted suicide organization,” made this clear.

The director of the Nathaniel Centre, Father Michael McCabe, said the doctor’s comments displayed an appalling lack of understanding of the needs of the terminally ill as well as people who suffer from depression. “If people are depressed our efforts need to be focused on restoring their self-worth and supporting them with our caring presence rather than simply providing them with a recipe to kill themselves while leaving them in their isolation".

"Care of the terminally ill and the depressed requires a holistic approach that also addresses the spiritual, emotional and social dimensions of health and well-being."

Father McCabe said Dr Nitschke had gone on record as saying the knowledge he provides should be “readily available to anyone who wants it, including the depressed, the elderly, bereaved, the troubled teen.”

“Is this where we really want to go in New Zealand society?” asked Father McCabe.

David Lane of the Society for the Promotion of Community Standards said he fully endorsed the comments made by Mr Orr.

Mr Lane also agreed with Right to Life’s recommendation that, although Dr Nitschke had only shown stills of his controversial suicide films at his New Zealand workshops, a formal complaint should be lodged with the Office of Film and Literature Classification.

One of the instructional video clips on end of life options called Doing it with Betty shows an elderly woman teaching people how to use an oven bag to end their lives.

A spokesman for the office said the two films would not be reviewed unless a complaint was laid, or officials, including police, asked for a review.

Bernard Moran of Voice for Life said it seemed pretty clear that Dr Nitschke was breaching section 179 of the Crimes Act on aiding and abetting suicide.

Under section A of the act, anyone who incites, counsels, or procures any person to commit suicide is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 14 years.

He said Dr Nitschke was liable for “counselling, aiding and abetting the woman by advising her how and where to get the drugs.”

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[02/13/2008]

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