New Zealand’s Labour party has dropped a bill that would have given terminally ill patients the right to die on their own terms. Party leader Andrew Little directed Labour to withdraw support for voluntary euthanasia in favour of other priorities.

Labour spokesman Iain Lees-Galloway canvassed for his End of Life Choice Bill, but he was told by Little that the bill wasn’t a current focus for the party. The controversial nature of the bill isn’t what made the party change its mind, though.

“It comes down to priorities at the moment,” Little was quoted by the New Zealand Herald as saying. He added that they are “very much focused” on other issues, such as jobs and economic security.

“There are more people affected by weak labour market regulation and weak economic strategy than they are about the right to make explicit choices about how they die.” Little further insisted that Labour isn’t trying to avoid controversy by dropping the bill, explaining that it’s just “about choosing the controversies that are best for us at this point in time.”

If passed, the bill would have given terminally ill patients the right to get medical assistance to die. Lees-Galloway inherited the bill from former Labour MP Maryan Street, who was not re-elected in September.

The president of the Voluntary Euthanasia Society, Jack Havill, expressed his disappointment over the bill’s fate. He said many Kiwis favour the end-of-life choice, and with the bill seemingly killed before it even reaches voting, patients are denied of chance to end their lives with dignity.

“We find this strange because it is clear that a majority of New Zealanders support the right to have medical assistance to die where there is terminal illness or irreversible unbearable suffering,” Havill, a retired intensive care specialist from Hamilton, said in a statement. He added that nearly seven out of 10 Kiwis would like the bill to pass.

“Many are angry after watching and caring for family members who have suffered long drawn-out deaths and want a good death for themselves,” he continued.

Little, who called the bill a “conscience issue” for the MPs, said that while he doesn’t see the bill coming back in the near future, it’s not completely killed off.