New Zealand votes to legalise euthanasia for terminally ill patients
New Zealanders have voted in favour of legalising euthanasia for people with a terminal illness - clearing the way for the controversial proposition to become law in 2021.
More than sixty-five per cent of voters backed the proposed law, according to preliminary results of a referendum announced by the country’s electoral commission on Friday.
More than 2.4 million people took part in the poll, which was conducted alongside New Zealand’s general election on the 17th of October. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern won the election by a landslide securing a second term and an unprecedented majority for her centre-left Labour Party.
Official results of the euthanasia vote will be published on the 6th of November, and the law will take effect one year later.
Source: bbc.com
