By Roger Childs

Dr David Hadorn said there were major problems with how the End of Life Choice Act was structured and he believed that it was “developed by people who are so scared of death that they want to put whatever obstacles they can in front of people who have had enough”. —The Press, 8 February 2025

Now and then

Our friend and Waikanae Watch colleague, the incomparably multi-talented Christopher Ruthe, made the choice in October 2024. He was in unbearable pain and qualified to “die with dignity,” I had a poignant final conversation with him and a warm embrace a few days before the event. He passed away a few days before the US Presidential Election and at his funeral someone put a paper with the results on his coffin sensing that he would want to know them! 

Harking back to 1980, my mother lay dying in Napier Hospital. She had a brain tumour and faced a painful death in the short term. Ethel, who had lived an incredibly busy life serving other people, would have qualified for “Assisted Dying” today, but in those times that option was not available. Instead she sat in bed for months, uncomfortable and incontinent, and unable to recognize or talk to anyone. She didn’t eat or drink much except for a little bit of orange juice which my father squeezed from the fruit tree in the back garden. The day he squeezed the last orange and took it the 300 metres to the hospital she mercifully passed away.

Reviewing the criteria

As Ann David’s December 2024 article pointed out, the Ministry of Health review of the current restricted legislation wants to see the criteria for making the choice much easier to access. A survey carried out by Horizon indicated that the majority of Kiwis want this to happen.

Currently in Ann David’s words — those suffering unbearably with …. incurable, life-limiting diseases such as Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, dementia, end-stage heart or lung disease, find it almost impossible to access assisted dying. 

“One of the lucky ones” David Hadorn

You do not expect to see picture of a dying man with his head on a pillow in a daily newspaper.  However, this was the case in The Press on Saturday 8 February 2025. Obviously Dr David Hadorn gave permission and we reproduce this photo with deep respect.

The distinguished doctor who was born in the United States, said that his decision to have an assisted death was made When it was clear I was on a downward trajectory that was getting steeper all the time. His doctors told him that he has less than six months to live, a key requirement for ”dying with dignity”. One of his final observations was I’m not afraid of dying by no means. I’m afraid of saying goodbye to people… He passed away on Friday 7 February.

The critical need to change the law

The End of Life Choice Society is working towards seeing legal changes such as

·       dropping the need for the person to be “likely to die within 6 months” and replacing it with a requirement for the person to have a “serious and incurable medical condition likely to lead to death”. 

·       removing the ‘gag’ prohibition on health practitioners that stops them raising the topic of assisted dying as one option for end-of-life.

If these changes occurred many people who suffer unbearably with incurable, diseases such as Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, dementia, end-stage heart or lung disease would be able to access assisted dying.

There needs to be recognition that the adage “where there’s life there’s hope” is often not the case. It would also be invaluable if institutions from the Catholic Church to the Hospice Movement could see that assisted dying is a merciful, appropriate and respectful option for people to put enormous pain behind them and pass away with dignity.