CW: Ableism, medical abuse, suicidal ideation, euthanasia bill.

As a disabled person I have been failed by our health system time and time again.

From being disbelieved & misdiagnosed, to being manhandled in hospital into extreme pain while clearly stating “I do not consent” and stating the breach of my Health & Disability Consumer Rights.

I had a really degrading experience trying to get support from WINZ when I briefly needed to stop work because of my health.

I had to fight tooth and nail for my rights in the University, and deal with huge amounts of ableism in that institution, to the point that I have literal PTSD traumatic memories around certain places at uni.

As a medical student I tried to speak to established doctors about chronic pain and invisible disability, and was bullied as a result, being told that chronic pain patients are inherently abusive - by a GP!

Feeling like a burden on my family, partner, ex-partners, friends, and others who have supported me, and feeling like a crap friend or family member as a result have been a feature of my experience as a disabled person, even though I have an incredibly supportive network.

I have lost friends to ableism. I have lost opportunities to ableism. I have lost financial security to ableism. All of this in a country that we like to think is so “kind” - and my experience is exceptionally privileged amongst my disabled peers.

There have been many times in my life when I have thought that I would be better off dead, or that my family and friends would be better off not having to look after me or support me.

If we want to stop suffering, we need to recognise that we live in a deeply ableist society where the vast majority don’t even know what the term “ableism” means.

If we want to stop suffering, we need to ensure that disabled people receive access to the support that we have a HUMAN RIGHT TO, and we need to collectively dismantle the ableist attitudes that cause our people to suffer.

THAT is what is required to end suffering. NOT some legislation that suggests that we can just kill people off when they’re suffering, without examining the way our society and the health system that is meant to mitigate suffering is actually a perpetrator of it.

I’m voting NO to the End of Life Choice Bill.

Not because I am anti-Euthanasia in general

But because we have absolutely NOT achieved the foundational understandings of ableism as a society to have a nuanced conversation about euthanasia in a way that doesn’t put disabled, especially Māori, Pacific, poor disabled people in even more harm.

Let’s have a referendum on Euthanasia when everyone in NZ understands ableism, when disabled people are not discriminated against by our own govt, when disabled people can afford healthcare we need, when we can go to the doctors and be met with understanding and support...

When we are able to work and be educated in institutions that are accessible to us and support us to acknowledge our needs and limitations rather than extracting more labour out of us; when disabled people are not being paid LESS THAN MINIMUM WAGE because their labour and

work is so devalued through persistent ableism. Let’s have a referendum or legislation conversation about Euthanasia when the community who is MOST AFFECTED says, ok. We’re ready to have this conversation as a society in a safe and nuanced way.

Until then, remember that this referendum is not asking us to vote on whether we think euthanasia should be an option in general, it is asking us to vote on a SPECIFIC PROPOSAL, and that is a specific proposal that our disabled community almost unanimously agrees will harm us.