Swimming against the tide is hard, especially when you’re a health professional putting yourself out there at odds with many of your colleagues. Enter Dr Libby Smales CNZM FAChPM, palliative care consultant and former hospice director.
Libby was an early adopter of the right to die with dignity and despite the discomfort of being offside with professional colleagues, has never stopped her speaking her mind.
It has been a long battle, particularly intense during New Zealand’s referendum year (November 2019 – November 2020) when Libby consistently unpicked the unrealistic claims made on behalf of palliative care. Wealthy right-to-die opponents mounted disinformation and misinformation campaigns. Much money was spent on portraying palliative care as the solution to all problems, and assisted dying as therefore unnecessary.
Libby allowed herself to be co-opted by neutral and biased TV programmes on national and regional channels, staring down official palliative care spokespersons and an Opus Dei lawyer with that most uncomfortable weapon: the truth.
The public learned that palliative care, though in many ways wonderful, is neither infallible nor sufficient in all circumstances. They also heard what we all inherently know - that being approved for assisted dying can be in and of itself palliative for some. Importantly, these messages came to the public directly from the mouth of a credentialled palliative care practitioner and were convincing by virtue of their realism.
While some criticism came from Libby’s own inner circle, the public and other like-minded medical professionals rallied around her.
The referendum was won by a 65% majority.