Welcome to the Voluntary Euthanasia Society of NZ
The Voluntary Euthanasia Society of New Zealand has as its object a change to the law to allow terminally ill patients, or those whose quality of life has diminished to an unacceptable extent, the right to a peaceful death with dignity at a time of their own choosing. The Society was formed from a merger in 2004 between the Voluntary Euthanasia Society (Auckland) Inc. and the Wellington Voluntary Euthanasia Society. There are branches in Auckland and Wellington and more branches in other centres are planned.
The Need for Voluntary Euthanasia
Euthanasia, defined in the Oxford Dictionary, is "gentle and easy death; bringing about of this, especially in case of incurable and painful disease". The Voluntary Euthanasia Society of NZ Inc. believes that this should be the lawful right of the individual, in carefully defined circumstances and with the utmost safeguards, if and only if, that is their express wish. It is natural to hope that when our time comes, we shall die peacefully with dignity and without prolonged suffering. Those who do so will be fortunate, for many must still endure a long drawn out and deeply distressing process of degeneration. When the alternatives are death with dignity or death accompanied by prolonged pain or distress, common sense as well as compassion support the demand of the Society that the choice should be the legal right of the individual.