Young Nats reject euthanasia remit

Press, 9 March 1982, Page 7

Young Nats reject euthanasia remit

PA - Auckland A remit calling for the legalisation of euthanasia was thrown out after a heated and often emotive debate at the annual meeting of Auckland Young Nationals at Parnell. Proposed for the National Party Conference in May by the East Coast Bays division of the Young Nationals, it was lost by two votes. Its supporters asserted that people facing terminal illness had the right to choose to die peacefully and with dignity.. They spoke of a “living will,” whereby adults could sign a witnessed document asking not to be kept alive by drugs in the event of such an illness. This would not apply to _

children or those on life support systems, but one delegate said the remit had been put forward by “a lot of ignorant people” and it had no place at the Young Nationals conference. Another delegate said the basis of society was upholding the sanctity of life and that, unfortunately, some pople had to be prepared for it not to end so happily. Remits passed included several calling for more Government support of free enterprise. Among these was one which asked that "the Transport Licensing Authority be directed to stop preventing private enterprise companies entering the transport industries."