Assisted dying and evidence-based law-making: a critical analysis of an article's role in New Zealand's referendum

To critically analyse the reliability of an article which claims to be evidence that the End of Life Choice Act 2019 provides a "potential hotspot for family, community and social discord that may not be easily remedied" should the legislation receive public support in New Zealand's September 2020 referendum.

The subject article was reviewed multiple times by all authors and critiqued against three criteria: a reliability pyramid developed to weigh evidence about assisted dying; principles that guide the conduct of social science research; and the use of reliable and current social science literature to support factual claims.

The study being analysed involved a single interview and so is located at the second bottom row of the reliability pyramid. Its research design is also unable to support the broad findings that are asserted. Other flaws in method included findings being extended beyond the data, and failure to state appropriate limitations in the research method. Further, claims are made that are unsupported by the weight of reliable social science literature.

The subject article is methodologically and factually flawed so is unreliable as evidence. It should not be considered in the assisted dying debates preceding the forthcoming referendum.