Columnist: ‘Ireland must remain vigilant against push for assisted suicide’

Ireland must be on its guard against renewed attempts to remove end-of-life protections for the vulnerable, a newspaper columnist has said.

Writing in the Irish Times, Breda O’Brien warned that the progress of a Private Member’s Bill at Westminster could give “impetus” to the cause of activists seeking to introduce assisted suicide in Ireland.

She also said that the fall of Gino Kenny’s Private Member’s Bill at the Dáil’s dissolution prior to the election, as well as his failure to be re-elected, “does not mean the issue will not be revisited”.

British situation

O’Brien branded Kim Leadbeater’s assisted suicide Bill in the UK “deeply flawed” and described its passing to Committee stage in the House of Commons as “rushed”.

She pointed out that the Bill’s compatibility with human rights legislation had been questioned, and that Leadbeater’s claims it had the support of the judiciary had been shown to be unsubstantiated.

Evidence from countries where assisted suicide or euthanasia is legal, she added, revealed how the ‘eligibility criteria’ are expanded over time and people ask for medical help to kill themselves for fear of being a burden to others.

She continued: “Families cannot object; doctors cannot truly opt out, as they must refer to another doctor; there is no obligation, as there is even for a tonsillectomy, to explain that the procedure has risks other than the obvious one of death, such as vomiting up the drugs or slipping into a coma.”

Widespread opposition

Turning her attention to the situation in Ireland, she noted: “disability groups are vehemently opposed to legalisation, as are the Irish Association of Palliative Care, the Irish Palliative Care Consultants’ Association, the Royal College of Physicians and the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland.

“The Irish College of General Practitioners is neutral but admits that even among those who favour it, the support is passive with little indication of any desire to be actively involved in taking lives.

“The last government recently published an important strategy on palliative care. Instead of foisting assisted suicide on healthcare professionals who don’t want it, and vulnerable people who deserve better, why don’t we do something really progressive by prioritising palliative care?”

‘Damaging’

In an opinion piece for the Irish Independent, Dr Margaret Kennedy criticised the Dáil’s recent approval of the Joint Committee on Assisted Dying’s final report calling for its introduction.

The disability campaigner warned: “Many TDs do not appear to understand such legislation has the potential to erode services, reduce palliative care investment and create a major damaging, psychological impact on vulnerable groups.”

She added: “Diminishing services prolong and increase older, disabled and sick people’s suffering to the extent that many now feel they can no longer live a valuable and productive life.”