The article from The Spinoff, a woke rag that we'd all be better off without, titled "Eight Graphs That Show How We Die in New Zealand," provides an overview of mortality trends in New Zealand. It looks at different things like how long people live, what causes death, how the assisted-dying law affects people, and how policy affects death rates. It also talks about the cost of regular burials in different councils. It also shows differences in life expectancy and causes of death between different ethnic groups. The article focuses on trends in diseases, including those that are hardly talked about, such as suicide and assisted death. Unfortunately, there's no inclusion of COVID vaccine deaths because the statistics only go up to 2020. It's worth noting as well, that doctors with any integrity have been forced out of their profession by various means.
In response to the Spinoff article, my critical analysis could be framed around the following points:
Loss of Trust in Doctors: Since the lockdowns and vaccine mandates, one of the most common statements people make when seeking our help with health problems is, "I no longer trust doctors", and they have good reason to think this way. The question we all need to ask is this: "Is your doctor working in your best interests, or for the interests of Big Pharma and the State?" The question of trust is a crucial one. Can one be certain that a doctor's judgement on the matter of assisted dying is truly rooted in the patient's best interests? Or might they be swayed by the impatience and avarice of family members, eager to hasten the inheritance process? In addition, a cynic may think that doctors may help with assisted dying, en-masse, such as by over-medication and giving the COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine to patients young and old. We need to look more closely at how medical treatments affect people. A doctor should never kill a person early, except in the rarest of cases. Instead, we're better off investing more in providing high-quality hospice services for the terminally ill.
Reevaluating Health Service Accessibility: The article wrongly assumes that increased access to health services directly correlates with better health outcomes. This no longer holds true. The absence of the need for drugs and other healthcare services is probably the best predictor of longevity. Instead of spending billions more on drugs and surgery, and paying millions for medical committees to decide who gets assisted-dying, society would be better off focusing on the basics of good health care: food, shelter, fair pay, and helping people find meaning and purpose in life.
Why do Maori and Pasifika People Die Earlier than Others?: The Spinoff article doesn't look at the real reasons Maori and Pasifika people died earlier. Root-cause factors such as poor food choices, exposure to toxins at work, low incomes, poor living conditions, welfareism, and over-medication are at the root of these early deaths. Instead of not having enough access to medical services, I'd say they have too much access. Like the elderly, they're typically heavy users of health services. They use a lot of prescribed drugs, but only get small amounts of services that deal with the main causes of mental and physical illnesses. It's worth noting that men in these communities often work in high-risk industries like forestry and construction, which contribute to higher rates of injury and death.
So, in conclusion, this Spinoff article is of little use to anyone because it lacks critical analysis. The article's poor quality and lack of analysis suggests a government-hired public relations specialist probably wrote most of it. This article only seems to help rich doctors and big companies by supporting the false idea that more allopathic medicine, including death by doctor (assisted dying), is the answer to our health problems. We need to encourage a more open and in-depth discussion about the complex issues of health outcomes and interventions in New Zealand.
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