| End of Life Choice Act 2019 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| New Zealand Parliament | |
| Citation | 2019 No 67 |
| Territorial extent | New Zealand |
| Passed by | House of Representatives |
| Passed | 13 November 2019 |
| Royal assent | 16 November 2019 |
| Commenced | 7 November 2021 |
| Legislative history | |
| Bill title | End of Life Choice Bill |
| Bill citation | 269-3 |
| Introduced by | David Seymour |
| Introduced | 8 June 2017 |
| Committee responsible | Justice Committee |
| First reading | 13 December 2017 |
| Voting summary |
|
| Second reading | 26 June 2019 |
| Voting summary |
|
| Third reading | 13 November 2019 |
| Voting summary |
|
| Status: Current legislation | |
The End of Life Choice Act 2019 is an Act of Parliament in New Zealand that gives people with a terminal illness the option of receiving assisted suicide or euthanasia.[a][2] The act came into force on 7 November 2021, twelve months after the 2020 euthanasia referendum was declared in favour of the legislation.[3]
Political progress towards the act began in 2015, when ACT Party MP David Seymour entered it into the member's bill ballot.[4] The bill passed its first reading in December 2017, its second reading in June 2019,[5][6] and its third reading in November 2019, with 69 votes in favour and 51 opposed.[7] Changes introduced by New Zealand First before the third reading required that the bill would go to referendum to be introduced into law. A binding referendum was held in conjunction with the 2020 general election on whether the act should come into force,[8] with a majority of voters (65%) in favour.[9]
- ^ "Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Health, Departmental Report - New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
- ^ "End of Life Choice Bill (as at 23 October 2019), Explanatory note". New Zealand Legislation: Bills. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
- ^ "End of Life Choice Act implementation". Ministry of Health NZ. Archived from the original on 16 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
- ^ Seymour, David. "Seymour lodges assisted dying Bill" (Press release). ACT New Zealand. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
- ^ "Euthanasia bill passes second reading". The New Zealand Herald. 26 June 2019. Archived from the original on 26 June 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
- ^ "Euthanasia bill passes second reading in Parliament". Radio New Zealand. 26 June 2019. Archived from the original on 26 June 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
- ^ Henry Cooke (13 November 2019). "MPs vote in favour of End of Life Choice Bill at final reading". Stuff. Archived from the original on 13 November 2019. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
- ^ "Euthanasia bill passes final vote, goes to referendum". The New Zealand Herald. 13 November 2019. Archived from the original on 14 November 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
- ^ "Official referendum results released | Elections". Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).