♪ The Citizen's Handbook ♪
♪The Citizen's Handbook ♪
♪Mmm mmm mmm ♪
Kia ora koutou, and welcome to the Ctizen's Handbook
election special
on The End of Life Choice referendum.
And look, normally when we're convincing you to vote,
we say stuff like, hey don't worry about it.
It's not life or death,
(laughing)
But for obvious reasons,
I can't say that for this one.
This vote is a little bit stressful.
It's like when your partner says,
don't worry about getting me an anniversary present.
I mean, don't panic, but you should worry a little.
This October you're going to vote on something called
The End of Life Choice Act.
The act has already been passed by politicians,
but that doesn't mean that this is the end of the video.
See, I'm still going.
Because the act will only come into effect,
if the majority of people who vote
in the referendum vote, yes.
Otherwise it will just sit there completely unused
like a self published book, or those condoms
I bought when I was feeling optimistic.
If End of Life sounds like a weird way to say death
that's because The End of Life Choice Act
was named by people who want you to vote yes.
National MP Tim Macindoe wanted to rename it,
The Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide Act
because people who oppose the bill
want to say the word suicide as much as possible.
While Tim wasn't successful in renaming the bill.
He has got me to say suicide twice, now three times.
And that's a pretty good consolation prize.
- Yeah.
- Words matter a lot here.
Different sides of this debate will frame the issue in ways
that make the choice seem obvious.
But if it doesn't seem obvious to you, don't worry.
You're not alone.
Humanity has had hundreds of thousands of years
to come to a consensus on the meaning of life and death.
And we still haven't cracked it.
In the meantime, we're going to use the phrase
Assisted Dying because it isn't too emotive,
And it acknowledges that someone is dying sooner
than they otherwise would.
Here at The Citizen's Handbook,
we really aren't doing our best to call a spade, a spade
and not a huge spoon.
So at this referendum, you'll be voting on whether or not
we should legalise Assisted Dying.
What that means specifically is this.
(whooshing)
If you've got less than six months to live
and you're experiencing unbearable suffering
that can't be eased, and you're over 18,
and you're capable of making a rational decision,
and you want your death to happen sooner rather than later,
then you can ask for your doctor to end it all.
Your doctor, plus another doctor,
will have to agree that you meet all of the criteria
and that you haven't been pressured into asking.
(whooshing)
If all the right boxes are ticked,
then they'll give you medication that will either kill you
or send you into a nice long, happy sleep.
Depending on your point of view.
That's, what's going to become legal, if you vote yes.
People who meet that set of criteria will now have legal
access to life ending drugs.
So, what's the law now?
Well, legally, if you're terminally ill,
you're allowed to let your body do what it does best - die.
You're allowed to refuse a lifesaving operation,
have a, 'do not resuscitate order'
or choose to stop eating or drinking water.
Doctors are even allowed to give you pain medicine
like morphine, that has a side effect
of making you die sooner.
What doctors can't legally do at the moment
is give you a drug with the intention of ending your life.
It's the difference between, on the one hand taking no action
and letting a train run someone over,
and on the other hand, going over to that person
and giving them a lethal injection.
So now you know what the law currently is
and what you might be voting to change.
The question is, how should you vote?
Well, that's the easy bit.
No, I'm kidding.
It's extraordinarily difficult.
People on both sides of the argument feel very strongly.
If I put on my yes badge for a moment,
it's easy to argue that, yes, being in pain sucks.
It's no good, have you ever stubbed your toe?
Well now imagine stopping your whole body,
and you're about to die.
- What?
- People deserve to die with dignity,
and keeping them alive for a few extra months
against their wishes is cruel and pointless and degrading.
But on the other hand, for a lot of vulnerable people,
it's important that killing yourself
isn't an option on the table.
If you being alive is costing your family a lot of time
or effort or money, then it might be hard
to make the active decision every day to stay alive.
You might ask to die just because you feel like a burden
or you're being pressured by family
and your doctor doesn't notice.
And it's typically the nicest people who feel like a burden.
You know that person in your life who actually is a burden.
(coughing)
They have no idea.
Doctors also say that the law goes against
their code of ethics.
According to the law, we are voting on,
if a doctor conscientiously objects
to euthanising a patient,
they still have to tell that patient where they can find
a doctor who's okay with it.
It's like saying, you don't have to slingshot a rock through
Mr. Wilson's window, but if you choose not to,
you will have to hand the slingshot to Dennis the Mennace.
And I think we all know what he's gonna do.
To which you might say, okay, fine.
I've got a different code of ethics.
And it says the doctor's code of ethics is dumb.
Sometimes doctors are wrong.
My doctor said that rash would go away.
Yes, sometimes doctors are wrong,
which is especially concerning when they're guessing
how long you have to live.
Because they're often wrong about that.
So you might kill yourself
thinking you have six months to live.
When really you could have had years.
Yes, but doctor's guesses about life expectancy
are usually optimistic.
If a doctor says you have six months to live,
the sad news is, it's probably less.
(breathing heavily)
Look, it's complicated.
It's really complicated.
And that's even before we get to a really tricky question,
is it ever rational to want to die?
We all agree that depression
is not a good enough reason to die,
but this law is talking about
a specific category of people.
Who doctors agree are in unbearable pain
and have less than six months to live.
Sometimes doctors are wrong
and a patient might live on grateful they weren't allowed
to die.
But should that mean that no one is allowed
to end their suffering?
And then there are the other reasons
someone might want to die.
Retirement homes are really expensive
and hospices fund themselves
by literally selling secondhand tea towels.
Will the option to die
hide the symptoms of our broken systems
and stop us from fixing them?
These are really difficult questions.
It's a sensitive topic that we need to be guided through
in a way that makes us feel safe and secure.
And there's only one person who's up to the job.
(soft instrumental music)
- Hi darling, it's me, your Mum.
I know what you're thinking.
I've seen my Mum and you don't look anything like her.
And to that I say, what are you talking about?
Of course I look Your Mum, 'cause am your Mum.
I've heard that you're about to make
a tough ethical decision.
It can be pretty stressful, can't it dear?
Remember on your first day at school,
you were so stressed you did a little widdle,
in your pants.
Oh, dear, shouldn't have said that.
We've been through tough times before
and we'll get through this.
This is a very big decision.
If I'm not feeling so hot sometime in the future.
I might want to pop off a little bit early.
Maybe I should have that option.
On the other hand, if your sister starts to make moves,
with their eyes on the inheritance,
maybe I shouldn't have that option.
Remember how she convinced me to buy that car?
She can be a very persuasive young woman.
Do you research and weigh up your pros and cons.
And when you're ready, it's just a little tick.
Okay, bye.
I really am your Mum.
I'm your actual Mum.
- There you have it.
That's all the time we have.
So before you vote yes or no, or neither.
Please do your research and read some of the links
we've shared below.
Do your best.
We believe in you.
- Good luck.
♪ The Citizen's Handbook ♪
♪ Mmm mmm mmm ♪
♪ (high-pitched music) ♪