The Inter Church Bioethics Council(ICBC) wants voters across Aotearoa New Zealand to be able to quiz their political candidates' on fairness and safety in new technologies and state-funded services.

The ICBC has published seven sets of questions for use this year, picking up on how our politicians plan to work together (across parties) to get traction on the most urgent crises for Aotearoa New Zealanders – but especially those doing it tough every day.

They ask what problems our political candidates warrant as worth bipartisan effort: Housing? Cost of living? Preparing for more extreme weather on its way? Rural health? Good health outcomes for Māori? Taking the pressure off global warming by cutting our greenhouse gases?

The ICBC invites church people to turn up and question what ethical issues the politicians have considered on technological advances that have led to Genetic Modification, Artificial Intelligence, Misinformation and Disinformation.

The final set of ICBC questions asks MPs and political candidates to front their plan for fair and equal access to health care and learning across the regions and tikanga of Aotearoa New Zealand. The final query asks how quality palliative care can become a freely available choice for anyone’s end of life care.

The ICBC suggest their ethical questions might also aid church groups to discuss the issues in their own huddles, raise them in sermons, or empower individuals to gain more information as they consider their own votes in the 2023 government elections.

The 2023 ICBC election questions on bioethical issues follow below.

Ethical questions for Candidates in Election 2023

1. Working together on shared priorities

• Which issues can you identify that are so high impact that policies for these issues need to be non-partisan (ie where the major political parties agree) so that our country is sustained and effective in its thinking and actions on this issue for the next few years? 

2. Responding to the climate crisis

• What are your climate change/crisis goals and actions for the first year of term if you are part of the Government? What are your goals and actions for the next 3 years? Is there any current measure you would undo or change, and for what reason? In what ways do you see a link between climate change and the cost-of-living crisis? What is your main emphasis in responding to climate change – reactionary (cleaning up after disasters), adaptive (pre-empting where the next disasters may occur and making changes to be protected from them), or mitigation (long term actions to reduce the causes of climate change in order to slow/stop/reverse climate change)? 

3. Genetic Modification (GMO)

• Genetic Modification (GM)/engineering/editing – what do you think the main benefits and the main risks are in GM? Who do you think in Aotearoa
New Zealand should be deciding what is acceptable to be allowed in GM – the government, the public, farmers/companies/doctors? How can we best  protect human genes, and in culturally appropriate ways? How can we protect the integrity of species (so that species aren’t changed irreparably by GM) and protect species biodiversity (where endangered species are helped to survive using GM)?

4. Artificial Intelligence (AI)

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) includes algorithms and algorithmic use of Big Data, computer generated intelligence and human brain activity stored outside a human. What regulation do we need for the development and use of AI to protect society without impeding AI’s benefits and opportunities? How would you ensure that demand for new technology does not race ahead of ethical consideration and regulation of the technology? What does it mean to you to be human with human intelligence? Are the boundaries of humanness crossed in AI, gene editing, genetic enhancement, transgenics etc, and who should discern what and where are these boundaries? 

5. Countering misinformation and disinformation

• What are your policies regarding misinformation (unintended wrong information) and disinformation (intentionally wrong information) – in socialmedia, in mainstream media, other information vectors? What measures would be considered to limit disinformation, and what would be considered going ‘too far’? What values would you use to determine limits? How would those values be identified and measured? And how could/does Artificial Intelligence play into this spreading of disinformation?

6. Fair access to care and training

• There has been significant concern about the lack of equity for access to health and education, especially for people with disabilities, Māori, Pasifika, and inequitable spread of services across geographical areas. How would you ensure that people can access essential services with dignity, effectiveness and fairness in Aotearoa NZ? Where do you see policies needed at the top of the cliff rather than just at the bottom of the cliff? What opportunities for those missing out are you most interested in improving, and how? What efforts would you make to unite the public attitude to these measures? 

7. Real choice in end-of-life care

• What are your policies with respect to providing equity in funding and provision for Palliative Care, and for Assisted Dying, as at present only assisted dying is fully funded? What would you put into place to enable accessible, realistic options for terminally ill people in Aotearoa New Zealand to be able to choose from both types of end-of-life care?

For more information about the ICBC go to their website: Inter Church Bioethics Council
To enrol to vote in NZ Elections 2023 go to Vote.nz