Debate over women's attempt to starve herself to death

Family Life International says it is appalled at the apparent lack of action being taken to save the life of Margaret Page, who is currently trying to starve herself to death in a Wellington care home. “Based on comments attributed to Margaret Page in a news story which appeared online today, it appears that she may be suffering from depression” says Family Life International media spokesperson Brendan Malone. “The article states that Margaret Page had been thinking about trying to kill herself for a long time; if this is true, then it casts serious doubt on the suggestions that she is making a sound and rational judgment about this matter” says Brendan Malone. “We know from reliable research that, in the majority of cases, once the psychological needs of a patient are attended to, the desire to take their own life vanishes. We have also heard commentary today suggesting that food and water are medical treatments,which is very concerning, because, in actual fact, food and water are not medicines, but basic necessities for life, and as such they should be provided to a patient” says Brendan Malone. (You can read the full statement here.)
Meanwhile, according to today's NZ Herald, medical ethics experts have stood by Mrs Page's wish to starve herself to death, saying a doctor's task is to prevent suffering and not death.