Irish Parliament votes in favour of report recommending assisted suicide

The Dáil portion of the Irish Parliament voted in favour to “note” the final report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Assisted Dying that calls on the Republic of Ireland to legalise assisted dying in certain restricted circumstances.

The vote on 23 October was 76 in favour with 53 against. The vote did not represent a decision being taken on the issue of euthanasia itself – usually referred to as assisted suicide by its critics – but on whether to take into consideration the report and its call for the introduction of euthanasia/assisted suicide.

“I don’t believe that it’s the place of a legislator to speed you up on that journey,” independent politician Michael Healy-Rae, the Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Assisted Dying and who was not in favour of the report, told Irish broadcaster RTÉ.

The Oireachtas Irish Parliament consists of the president of Ireland and the two houses of the parliament, a house of representatives called Dáil Éireann and a senate called Seanad Éireann.

Healy-Rae continued: “What is being suggested in this report is that in certain limited, certain circumstances, that you could assist somebody into the journey of death and that there would not be any legal penalty for it [assisting someone to die carries a mandatory jail sentence in Ireland currently]. It is a very serious move.

“I looked at the evidence given from psychiatrists who also argued to us that, in their terminology, it could lead to a slippery slope, with increasing numbers of people looking to end their lives because of a number of different reasons.”

Healy-Rae added: “I know that there are hard cases, but hard cases make for bad laws.”

Eilís Mulroy of the Pro Life Campaign said in a statement that it is important to recognise that the vote was on whether to recognise, and thereby consider, the “radical and far-reaching report of the Joint Committee on Assisted Dying, which called for the introduction of euthanasia/assisted suicide”.

While it wasn’t a vote in favour of assisted suicide itself, she said: “It would have been preferable if a majority of [the politicians] had voted No. It is clear from the remarks of many Oireachtas members in recent days that they haven’t reflected on or studied the extreme recommendations contained in the JCAD report.

“In addition to reducing the value of human life and undermining anti-suicide campaigns, the introduction of euthanasia/assisted suicide in Ireland would have the impact of undercutting investment in palliative care and would inevitably lead to certain vulnerable groups feeling growing pressure to opt for euthanasia/assisted suicide, as shown by what has happened in the small number of countries that have gone down this road.

“Significantly the push for euthanasia/ assisted suicide has been opposed by professional bodies such as the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland and the Irish Palliative Medicine Consultants Association. I sincerely hope [the members of parliament] will take account of this going forward.

“The focus of the Oireachtas should be on promoting assisted living, not assisted dying. There is so much good and life-affirming work that needs to be done in this area and candidates in the upcoming General Election have a duty to state clearly where they stand on the issue, so voters are left in no doubt with regard to their position.”

The Irish bishops have also called for more focus on palliative care, while noting that despite the sadness of a life coming to an end in a drawn out process, such as a terminal illness, there can still be value and virtue to be found in the struggle.

“In the final weeks of terminal illness, many people can be helped to experience human and spiritual growth,” the bishops said in a statement earlier this year.

“Faced with the reality of their own mortality, they can and do come to understand themselves better, and to experience the love of family members and friends. This can be a time when old hurts are healed and people find inner peace. This process is supported through palliative and pastoral care, which places the focus on the needs of the whole person.”

At the same time, the bishops highlighted that “the Church does not and never has insisted on the use of extraordinary means to prolong life” and “nor is there any moral obligation on a sick person to accept treatment which they feel is unduly burdensome”.

But, they emphasised, key to the assisted suicide debate is the issue of intervention and the curtailment of the natural process.

“A decision to end life prematurely, however, cuts off any prospect of growth or healing and represents a failure of hope,” the bishops said. “It is surely far better when a person’s freedom to live is affirmed and supported by a compassionate community of care.

In contrast to the decision by the Irish Parliament, in Wales its parliament has just voted to reject a motion calling for Westminster to legalise assisted suicide. The decision is viewed as a significant setback for the assisted suicide lobby who are currently pushing strongly for a change in UK law.

RELATED: Welsh Parliament rejects assisted suicide in significant setback for campaign to change UK law

(Photo credit: Pixabay, via Crux.)

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