Lecretia Anne Seales (4 April 1973 – 5 June 2015) was a New Zealand lawyer who, upon suffering a brain tumour and enduring treatments for it, became an advocate of physician-assisted dying.
In the first instance she wanted the Court to declare that her doctor would not be convicted of murder or aiding suicide by assisting her to die given the nature of her illness and prognosis.
[10][11] In her statement of claim, Seales explained that: I have accepted my terminal illness and manage it in hugely good spirits considering that it's robbing me of a full life.
The complex legal, philosophical, moral and clinical issues raised by Ms Seales' proceedings can only be addressed by Parliament passing legislation to amend the effect of the Crimes Act.
However, the fact that Parliament has not been willing to address the issues raised by Ms Seales' proceeding does not provide me with a licence to depart from the constitutional role of Judges in New Zealand.
[12]Physician-assisted suicide advocates assert that the case lead to a number of important factual conclusions: Additionally, Justice Collins expressed his sympathy for Seales' plight stating, "I fully acknowledge that the consequences of the law against assisting suicide as it currently stands are extremely distressing for Ms Seales and that she is suffering because that law does not accommodate her right to dignity and personal autonomy.
[17] In June 2015, in response to Seales, Act Party leader David Seymour announced he would submit an End of Life Choice member's bill calling for a debate on euthanasia.
[20] Louisa Wall of the Labour Party tabled a bill to the Health Select Committee that would support assisted dying laws, inspired by Seales' case.