Garcia PauloPAULO GARCIA (National): Thank you Mr Speaker. It's a privilege to be able to stand and speak in this the third reading of the End of Life Choice Bill. It is a privilege to be able to stand and speak my position based on my conscience my life experience my culture and my faith. It is a privilege to speak in representation of not just the Catholic Church to which I belong not just to the Filipino migrant community who by families through generations past and generations future by faith—SPEAKER: Order! I apologise for interrupting the member. It is the dinner break; he will resume his speech after the dinner break. Sitting suspended from 6 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.PAULO GARCIA: Thank you Mr Speaker. It is a privilege to speak in representation of not just the Catholic Church to which I belong not just the Filipino migrant community who by families through generations past and generations into the future by faith and culture are opposed to this bill but also the very very many people who have written and that I have met: the faithful of many Christian churches friends in Islam Hindus medical doctors young old families and friends in New Zealand.I refer back to my maiden speech of which I had made two references: one to Mahatma Gandhi's statement that the true measure of a society is how it treats its most vulnerable not how society allows its most vulnerable to be disposed; the second was a statement on modelling that the men of New Zealand need to stand strong and in our in our relationships be reliable providers and protectors show the tamariki the way to respect and honour women. White Ribbon highlights this in their brochure Raise Our Boys. A regime of assisted suicide is not the model that we might want our children to grow up with. What would this teach the next generation who often learn to show care and kindness and love to the elderly the infirm and the disabled from us through our own acts of kindness and service.New Zealand finds itself in a situation where the End of Life Choice Bill is sought as a solution. We have heard thousands of submissions. For my part the great majority from people who are against the bill. The solution is sought for people who cry out for help to address unmet needs—some simply because they have no one with them on their life journeys simply sometimes to just hold their hands sometimes to just listen and care and be a companion through tough times and loneliness—for the need for more effective pain management in the extreme. When considered alongside evidence that requests for euthanasia and assisted suicide seldom indicate unmanageable pain and suffering then that option of ending a life does not seem to be the correct solution at all.We should instead be getting stuck into affirming promoting enabling a much kinder more caring and compassionate society. We could well require greater funding and resourcing for community and palliative care for all New Zealanders. What we need is more hope more caring more love; to develop this within our families and our communities.A person with a terminal illness is our most vulnerable. It is extremely naive to maintain that coercion will not occur. The most common reason for seeking euthanasia or assisted suicide is the anxiety of being a burden to others. This is not a surprise to me as my own mum my own mother—sometimes I detect from her very subtle hints of checking if I am being burdened by her.New Zealand finds itself in a situation where the End of Life Choice Bill is sought as an option a choice but not all have choices and there are very many who live without choice already and they very quickly will be having their choices made by the others that surround them.As a member of Parliament in New Zealand I must vote against this bill.