Elderly people in New Zealand would be at risk of “financial elder abuse” according to healthcare executive Bill Cree. Mr Cree has highlighted the perilous position that the elderly would be in if New Zealand’s proposed euthanasia bill is passed.
Antonia Tully of SPUC’s campaign Lives Worth Living said: “I congratulate Bill Cree for putting a spotlight on one of the many dangers of legalised assisted suicide. Mr Cree’s concerns about elder abuse are likely to be very well founded.”
Mr Cree, the founder of Radius Care, a specialist care provider for the elderly and the disabled in New Zealand, said: “I have seen elder abuse up close and I know there are families out there who would move heaven and earth to end the life of a person if it meant they could get their hands on the money. I have seen and heard of some terrible experiences…
“The whole thing worries me… In my view plenty of people like me are concerned that elderly people in care will feel pressured into it; that they might be made to feel they are a burden on their family.”
Mr Cree also stated that, in his view, “the aged care sector as a whole doesn’t support voluntary euthanasia, primarily because we are all about caring for people, of course. We focus on that and don’t want to get involved with prematurely ending anyone’s life.
“The whole thing makes me very uncomfortable.”
Antonia Tully said: “We should listen to those who are caring for elderly or disabled people. They see the dignity of the people they care for. In Britain, not one disability group has spoken publicly in support of legalising assisted suicide. In 2015 disabled people spoke out strongly against a bill which sought to legalise assisted suicide.”
Mr Cree also said that many staff at Radius Care “have strong personal views that absolutely oppose any form of euthanasia. I am worried the new law, if it comes into being, might make it untenable for those great staff to work for us if there is any kind of involvement with euthanasia.”
Euthanasia referendum
On 17 October, voters in New Zealand will get a chance to vote in a referendum on whether they support the End of Life Choice Act 2019. If more than 50% of people vote “Yes” in the referendum, the End of Life Choice Act will come into force after 12 months.
Antonia Tully said: “At the heart of this issue is the value we put on human life. A law which allows elderly, sick and disabled people to end their lives, devalues all human life. So once there is the option to end a life prematurely, others will see vulnerable people as less than human and will abuse them.”