SIR WILLIAM AND LADY MARY ENGLISH
Sir Simon William English KNZM served as the 39th Prime Minister of New Zealand from 2016 to 2017. He was the leader of the National Party from 2001 to 2003 and 2016 to 2018. A farmer and public servant before entering politics, Sir Bill was elected to the New Zealand Parliament in 1990. After the 2008 general election, he became Deputy Prime Minister and was Minister for Finance. When John Key resigned, Sir Bill won the resulting leadership election unopposed and was sworn in as prime minister on 12 December 2016. In the 2017 general election, National won the largest number of seats but fell short of a majority. Sir Bill retired from politics in February 2018. Since then, he has been travelling throughout the country and speaking against the euthanasia bill currently before Parliament.
Lady Dr Mary English is a mother of 6 and a director of The Wellington After Hours clinic and Le Va, a Pacifica organisation running youth suicide prevention programmes. She works in her own GP practice in Kelburn, Wellington. Lady English is a founding member of the NZ Health Professionals Alliance which supports freedom of conscience rights for all doctors. NZHPA supported an application in the country’s High Court in 2010 concerning the New Zealand Medical Council guidelines, titled “Beliefs and Medical Practice”, which proposed overriding existing law allowing doctors freedom of conscience rights to refuse to provide a service or give advice related to abortion. Their action was successful. Lady English has also been actively campaigning against the euthanasia bill.
TOPIC: Euthanasia – The Threat to Individuals, Families, and Medical Professionals