257 people were euthanized or assisted to suicide in the first year of the operation of New Zealand’s law enabling the practices [1].
Such deaths accounted for approximately 0.67% of all deaths in the country between 7 November 2021 and 6 November 2022.
23% more women than men applied for the procedures – 365 women and 296 men.
Only 6 of the 636 people assessed by a first medical practitioner or the 475 people assessed by a second medical practitioner for eligibility were referred to a psychiatrist, and each of these were confirmed as eligible other than one person who died before the assessment was completed.
The first annual report covered the period 7 November 2021 to 31 March 2022 and reported on 66 assisted deaths.
The method of administration of the lethal poison, and the number of deaths by each method were: ingestion, triggered by the person – 6; intravenous delivery, triggered by the person – 4; ingestion through a tube, triggered by the attending medical practitioner or an attending nurse practitioner – 0; and injection administered by the attending medical practitioner or an attending nurse practitioner – 56.