Death wish list
New Zealand Listener|November 12-18 2022
The right to assisted dying” is bringing a sense of relief to many New Zealanders. But one year on from its introduction, there is frustration over the law's tight confines.
RUTH NICHOL 
Death wish list

‘I love her!” says Gerry Molloy of the doctor who has been assigned to accompany her through the assisted dying process. They first met in June, just a few days after Molloy emailed the assisted dying service to inquire about whether she would be eligible for it.

“They rang me back within five minutes, and by the Monday, the doctor [her attending medical practitioner] had been assigned to me. It happened so fast it kind of blew my husband away, but I was so grateful for how quickly they responded.”

Molloy contacted the service, run by the Ministry of Health, shortly after she learnt that her just-diagnosed lung cancer had already spread to a small bone at the base of the skull called the clivus, and it was terminal. The pain from the secondary tumour was excruciating, much worse than the symptoms she was experiencing from her primary cancer. Radiation treatment and other palliative care have kept the pain largely under control – at least in the meantime.

“I don’t think it will be lung cancer that will get me, I think it will be the pain from that tumour,” she says, adding with a laugh that most of the doctors she has seen have no idea what a clivus is. “They all have to go home and google it.”

After being assessed by the first doctor, Molloy, 71, was assessed by a second one, known as an independent medical practitioner, whose job is to provide independent confirmation that a person has not been pressured into seeking an assisted death, and that they are likely to die within six months.

Soon, she had been approved for an assisted death. She has nominated the latest possible date to do it – six months after she got her approval, though she can bring that forward if necessary.

Bu hikaye New Zealand Listener dergisinin November 12-18 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye New Zealand Listener dergisinin November 12-18 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

NEW ZEALAND LISTENER DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
First-world problem
New Zealand Listener

First-world problem

Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.

time-read
3 dak  |
September 9, 2024
Applying intelligence to AI
New Zealand Listener

Applying intelligence to AI

I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.

time-read
2 dak  |
September 9, 2024
Nazism rears its head
New Zealand Listener

Nazism rears its head

Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.

time-read
2 dak  |
September 9, 2024
Staying ahead of the game
New Zealand Listener

Staying ahead of the game

Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?

time-read
4 dak  |
September 9, 2024
Grasping the nettle
New Zealand Listener

Grasping the nettle

Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.

time-read
3 dak  |
September 9, 2024
Hangry? Eat breakfast
New Zealand Listener

Hangry? Eat breakfast

People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.

time-read
3 dak  |
September 9, 2024
Chemical reaction
New Zealand Listener

Chemical reaction

Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.

time-read
4 dak  |
September 9, 2024
Me and my guitar
New Zealand Listener

Me and my guitar

Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.

time-read
2 dak  |
September 9, 2024
Time is on my side
New Zealand Listener

Time is on my side

Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?

time-read
7 dak  |
September 9, 2024
The kids are not alright
New Zealand Listener

The kids are not alright

Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.

time-read
4 dak  |
September 9, 2024