Lifeline reaffirms its priorities

Press, 24 July 1986, Page 8

Lifeline reaffirms its priorities

The telephone counselling service, Lifeline, has reaffirmed that its aim is to save life, in the face of reports that one of its counsellors advised a suicidal woman to approach the Voluntary Euthanasia Society.

The assertion was made in evidence at a depositions hearing in the District Court at Auckland against a Euthanasia Society official who faced five charges related to suicide attempts by two women.

Four charges have been

dismissed, but the man, Leo Joseph Stack, aged 76, has been committed for trial on a charge of counselling a woman, aged 64, to commit suicide. the Court had been told The woman had earlier telephoned Lifeline and was referred to Stack. The president of the national Lifeline Association, Mr Geoff Hill, of Christchurch, said yesterday that he could not comment on the specific case, since the matter was still before the Court.

“All I can say is that policy in every one of our branches is to save life and to help people find quality of life,” he said. “We deal with a lot of depressed people — quite a percentage are suicidal. But we aim to save life.” Of the Stack case, “people will have to read between the lines. They know Lifeline,” he said. Officials of the Auckland branch of Lifeline, where the call was allegedly made, have taken legal advice over the matter.

The Auckland director, the Rev. Bruce Mackie, said that he would like to make a public statement but would be unable to until the case was over. Lifeline officials might be called to give evidence, he said. “I can say, quite clearly, that the publicity being made in the news media is doing irreparable damage to Lifeline as an organisation,” he said. It was a “matter of public concern” that Lifeline had been mentioned.