Euthanasia has been legalized in New Zealand. In the six months since the law came into effect on November 7, 2021, 92 people have chosen euthanasia. Most of them died at home.
Euthanasia is not permitted in Japan. We will tell you the details and current situation.
What is the "Euthanasia Law"?
“The End of Life Choice Act” , literally translated as “the right to choose death.”
This law, translated as the "Euthanasia Law" by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, was passed by parliament in 2019 and put to a national referendum held simultaneously with the general election on October 17, 2020.
As a result of the referendum, 65.1% of voters were in favor, making euthanasia legal in New Zealand, and the law came into effect about a year later, on November 7, 2021.
The conditions under which euthanasia is permitted under this law include:
- Be a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident
- Be 18 years of age or older
- There is no cure, he has been told he has less than six months to live, and he is in great physical pain.
- The person wishing to die must understand "euthanasia" and be in a state where they can make that choice.
You cannot apply for a disability benefit due to mental or physical disability, dementia, or aging.
Those who wish to undergo euthanasia submit their own application, which is then reviewed by their doctor and a third-party doctor. If it is determined that the requirements are met, a psychiatrist will review and approve the application, after which the date for euthanasia and the drugs to be used will be decided, and compliance will be reviewed by a reviewing body.
By the end of March, 206 people had applied for euthanasia.
The Ministry of Health has published data on this law up to March 31, 2022 on its website.According to the Ministry of Health data, 206 people applied for euthanasia.
Of these
- 59 people have applied (25 are under review, 34 are preparing for euthanasia)
- 81 people withdrew their applications (40 because the requirements were not met, 11 withdrew their applications, and 30 died during the application process)
The details are given below.
Also, out of 206
- 79% European
- 55% female
- 74% are 65 or older
- 65% diagnosed with cancer
- 80% were receiving palliative care at the time of application
There is also data showing that.
When we look at the age group
- 18-44 years old: 9%
- 45-64 years old: 21.4%
- 53.4% are 65-84 years old
- 20.9% are 85 years or older
Issues with application acceptance
Based on data from other countries where euthanasia is permitted, the government had predicted that about 950 people would apply for euthanasia and 350 people would actually be euthanized annually. The current figures are lower than expected, but it seems likely that the number of applications will increase in the future. The media sometimes publishes stories of people who have actually chosen euthanasia and their families, which is likely to have an impact on the number of applications in the future.
However, according to official government data, many of the people whose euthanasia applications are cancelled actually die during the application process, leading to some opinions that applications need to be processed more quickly.
Euthanasia is a very difficult issue and requires thorough consideration by multiple doctors and psychiatrists. The challenge for the future is how to ensure that the option of euthanasia is available to those who need it.
