Sunday, 9 June 2013
Euthanasia

Bills supporting voluntary euthanasia have twice been debated by Parliament and twice voted down. But opinion polls show the majority of the public now support euthanasia and the last time it was debated in Parliament it was defeated by just two votes. With Labour MP Maryan Street’s End of Life Choice members bill in the ballot we could be about to go through the whole debate again.

Ideas explores the arguments for and against euthanasia with: Dr Rodney Syme, the author of A Good Death: An Argument for Voluntary Euthanasia; Dr Sinead Donnelly a palliative care specialist who says euthanasia puts the “soul of medicine on trial”; and Carole Sweney the president of the Voluntary Euthanasia Society of New Zealand.