Dying doctor says NZ needs to legalise euthanasia

  • Breaking
  • 20/07/2010

A terminally-ill Auckland doctor says it is time New Zealand made the decision to legalise euthanasia.

Doctor John Pollock has been given just months to live after being diagnosed with metastic melanoma.

Mr Pollock told RadioLIVE this morning that there is overwhelming support for euthanasia in New Zealand.

“We know that most of the population actually supports it and to be quite frank, it’s just a cruel outdated law that prevents either assisted suicide or voluntary euthanasia,” he says.

Prominent Australian euthanasia advocate, Philip Nitschke, otherwise known as "Doctor Death" has praised John Pollock's stance.

“The fact that the person is a doctor and would have been exposed to the worst aspects that some difficult deaths can involve and still wants to take the very courageous course of speaking publically about this – you’ve got to have a lot of courage to go down this path,” he says.

Mr Nitsche is coming to New Zealand again within the next few months, for presentations on euthanasia.

RadioLIVE

source: newshub archive