WE SHOULD LEGISLATE SO PEOPLE CAN ASK SOMEONE ELSE TO KILL THEM (Letter to DomPost, Feb 23)

 

I wonder if euthanasia enthusiasts can see the disconnection between police picking up people (Time in cells for mentally ill to end, February 22) who are ‘exhibiting mental distress such as self-harming or attempting suicide’, and legalising the ultimate in self-harm which they fraudulently describe as ‘assisted dying’.

 

To the police and the Ministry of Health, self-harming or attempted suicide is evidence of mental distress. The role of the police is to prevent it. The role of the Ministry of Health is to restore these people to mental health. They are required to do so by law, because this is a civilised society.

 

But to the Voluntary Euthanasia Society and their ilk, attempting suicide is sane and reasonable and we should legislate so people can ask someone else to kill them. It follows that if assisted dying were legalised the police would pick up, and the Ministry of Health would assess as mentally ill, only the people who try to commit suicide without involving or pressurising anyone else.

 

In other words, the people with the misguided courage to go it alone are the barmy ones. Yeah right.