At least 65% of voters in New Zealand supported the legalization of mercy killing for patients in critical condition. The law will take effect a year after the official result is published this coming November. Citizens of New Zealand over 18 years of age with a terminal illness that cannot be reversed may be eligible for euthanasia.
CNN: Thousands of New Zealanders who might have suffered excruciating deaths will have choice, dignity, control, and autonomy over their own bodies, protected by the rule of law
![Screenshot from CNN](https://www.tgdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/CNN-6.jpg)
According to CNN, the law contains several stipulations for those eligible to receive “assisted dying.”
The person must be a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident over the age of 18 with a terminal illness “likely to end the person’s life within 6 months”; is in an “advanced state of irreversible decline in physical capability”; and is experiencing “unbearable suffering that cannot be relieved in a manner that the person considers tolerable.”
They would have to be evaluated by multiple medical professionals, including one from a government-appointed medical practitioner.