Euthanasia

The following is a summary of polls carried out in New Zealand.

• August and December 2008. Massey University Department of Marketing mail survey of 1000 New Zealanders. The survey sampled respondents from the Electoral Roll. The questions asked were:
  
  Suppose a person has a painful incurable disease. Do you think that doctors should be allowed by law to end the patient's life if the patient requests it?
  Yes 70%
  No 17%
  Don't Know 13%
  
  Still thinking of that person with a painful incurable disease. Do you think that someone else, like a close relative, should be allowed by law to help end the patient's life, if the patient requests it?
  Yes 52%
  No 33%
  Don't Know 15%
  
  
• August and September 2008. Colmar Brunton Poll of  over 2,000 New Zealanders aged  15 years and over.
  
  The question asked was:
  "In some countries, though not all, if you have an illness that results in your being unable to have an acceptable quality of life, you are legally allowed to get help from a doctor to help you to die.  If you had an illness or condition which resulted in your having a quality of life that was totally unacceptable to you, would you like to have the legal right to choose a medically assisted death?"
  Yes   71%
  No    20%
  Don't know  9%
  
  

• August and September 2002.  Massey University Department of Marketing  mail survey of 1000 New Zealanders.
  Suppose a person has a painful incurable disease. Do you think that doctors should be allowed by law to end the patient's life if the patient requests it?
  Yes 73% 
  No 17% 
  Don't Know 10%
  
  Still thinking of that person with a painful incurable disease. Do you think that someone else, like a close relative, should be allowed by law to help end the patient's life, if the patient requests it?
  Yes 49% 
  No 38% 
  Don't Know 13%
  
  

• Dec 2000 NZ Herald Digipoll.
  61% support the legalisation of euthanasia, ..
  27% opposed legalising mercy killing.
  Note: this poll does not include the word voluntary.
  
  

• April 1992: Morgan Gallup Poll (NZ section)
  Same questions as July 1991
  Q1 69% yes, 18% NO
  Q2 73% yes, 17% NO
  
  

• July 1991 Morgan Gallup Poll (NZ section)
  Q1 If there is absolutely no chance of a patient recovering, should the doctor let the patient die - or should the doctor try to keep the patient alive as long as possible.
  66% yes
  21% No
  Q2 If a hopelessly ill patient is in great pain with absolutely no chance of recovering asks for a lethatl dose so as not to wake again, should a doctor be allowed to give a legal dose or not?
  72% yes
  21%No
  
  

• June 1989: Frontline TV program
  From a newspaper report,
  74% agreed that an adult with an incurable illness should have the right to receive medical help to end his or her life., and 19% disagreed.

• May 1988 Heylen
  Q: ..allow adults suffering from a painful and incurable illness to receive medical help to end their lives, if they have earlier asked for it in writing..
  Agree 62.8%
  Disagree 18.3%
  
  

• May 1982 Heylen
  Q: … that a terminally ill adult in great pain or distress should be allowed to ask for medication to end their life?
  71.2% Yes
  22.2% No