9:30 am today

Assisted dying law under review: both sides line up

From Nine To Noon, 9:30 am today
Doctors or nurses hold hands of elderly patients to support and soothe.

Photo: 123RF

It is nearly five years since the End of Life Choice Act became law, and nearly three years since it was implemented, allowing some terminally ill adults with fewer than six months to live to be helped to die by a doctor.

As of the end of June, 895 people have done so.

Built into the law when it passed was a statutory review, which will begin in November, and both sides of the debate are lining up.

The End of Life Choice Society says while the law is working very well for some, in its current form it excludes some of the suffering dying who need it most.

The Society has just commissioned a nationwide opinion poll - conducted by Horizon Research.

Kathryn speaks with National President, Ann David and Wellington Palliative Care specialist, Dr Astrid Adams, who is a member of the Australia New Zealand Society of Palliative Medicine.

Click here for a link to make a submission.