That question was at the heart of an at-times heated debate among political heavyweights over the End of Life Choice Bill in Queenstown on Monday night.
Sir William English and his wife, Dr Mary English, argued for the opposing side, while Act MP David Seymour and Otago regional councillor Michael Laws argued in favour.
It was a debate that ranged from the details of the proposed legislation and the impact on medical professionals, to personal stories from the audience about their experiences seeing family and friends with debilitating illnesses.
The Bill would make it legal for those with a terminal illness or an irremediable medical condition to choose an assisted death.
Mr Seymour, who sponsored the Bill, told the crowd of about 100 people at Queenstown's Memorial Centre the conditions some people found themselves facing at the end of their lives were ''barbaric''.
He said the Bill would give choice to those who wanted it, while also protecting those who wanted nothing to do with it.
Sir William called it a ''slippery slope''.
''It permits doctors on a register to kill people and be immune from criminal or civil procedure.
''We shouldn't try to play down how big a step this actually is.''
He did not believe the Bill had appropriate safeguards in place, and said he was opposed to euthanasia ''in principle''.
Mr Laws, whose 1995 Death with Dignity Bill was the first major effort in New Zealand to promote legalised euthanasia, spoke about his own experiences, including his mother's battle with dementia and being told his daughter would not survive after being diagnosed with leukaemia as a child.
She did live, but Mr Laws shocked the crowd by alleging a doctor suggested medical professionals would medically intervene to ensure his daughter would die peacefully.
''I went to the Starship oncologist and I asked a very simple question. 'Will my child suffer?'
''And they said 'probably, yes, it's not a very nice route to go, from where she is and when she dies'. And I said 'then I will take her out of this hospital', and they said 'don't do that; we will make sure that she dies peacefully'.''
He said doctors were already making choices to intervene to help people die.
Dr English, a GP in Wellington, said doctors should not be used to ''sanitise state-enabled suicide''.
She said the legislation raised issues such as elder abuse, and the insinuation that those with disabilities would feel their lives were not worth living.
She also raised the prospect of doctors who were conscientious objectors being prosecuted if they did not refer patients to another doctor.
The Bill is at present with the justice select committee after passing its first reading in Parliament. MPs will vote on it again in March or April next year.
