By The Defender.

#DefendNZ has officially relaunched today, Sunday 7 November, in order to fight for the protection of vulnerable New Zealanders against the dangers of the End of Life Choice Act (EOLCA).

“Some may have wrongly assumed that this debate was over now that the EOLCA has come into force, when what this actually means is that our advocacy for the vulnerable put at risk by this law is more critical than ever before,” says #DefendNZ spokesperson Henoch Kloosterboer.

“Today our nation has undergone one of the most seismic shifts in law, healthcare and medical ethics in its entire history. As of this moment, some New Zealanders now wield the state-sanctioned legal power to deliberately end the lives of others, or to assist in their suicides.” 

“To think that there will be no harms that will come from this is to be unaware of the many problems unfolding overseas in the limited number of places that have also legalised these practices – and this includes the harm of wrongful killings,” says Kloosterboer.

When it comes to the EOLCA, the key areas of advocacy for #DefendNZ will be to protect, expose and improve – with the wellbeing and safety of euthanasia-vulnerable New Zealanders as #DefendNZ’s primary motivation and reason for existence.

“We will protect patients, families and medical practitioners from the harms of the EOLCA. We will expose illegal practices and abuses of the vulnerable in order to ensure greater accountability. We will seek to improve this deficient law with amendments to the Act, lobbying the Government, and supporting those who truly care” says Henoch Kloosterboer.

Today #DefendNZ has officially launched its brand new website at: www.defendnz.co.nz

Over the coming weeks it will be releasing six amendments that urgently need to be made to limit the harms of the EOLCA, along with a petition that the public can put their name to.