‘A question of choice’: Assisted-dying petition delivered to Dáil

End of Life Ireland on Tuesday delivered a petition supporting “the right to die with dignity” at Leinster House, with almost 5,000 signatures calling for urgent action on introducing end-of-life legislation to Ireland.

Gino Kenny TD, a long-time advocate for improved end-of-life care who introduced the Dying with Dignity Bill in 2020, said the issue would be the focus of the next special Oireachtas committee.

Although a date has not yet been set for when the committee will convene, he hopes it can be established in the next four to six weeks, before the Dáil enters Christmas recess.

“It’s been over a year since the justice committee recommended this ... once the special Oireachtas committee starts, then things can finally progress”, he said.

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Janie Lazar, a spokesperson for End of Life Ireland, said: “Without legislation there are no options for ending intolerable suffering at the end of life ... it’s a question of choice.

“What most people fear is not death itself, it’s how they die ... they don’t want their families to see them suffer,” she said. “It’s important that we be kind and considerate, but also honest.”

Joining the campaign were several TDs, including Fine Gael’s Barry Ward and Labour’s Ivana Bacik, as well as medical professionals and patients. Cervical cancer campaigner Vicky Phelan was unable to join the presentation of the petition, but Ms Lazar said: “If she could’ve been here, she would’ve been ... she’s totally behind what we’re doing”.

John Wall is living with stage IV prostate cancer and has advocated for easier access to medical cards for those with terminal illnesses.

“I’ve seen a lot of friends pass since I’ve gotten involved with this ... some peacefully, some not so peacefully”, he said. “I would like to pass naturally and peacefully, but if that wasn’t an option ... I’d like to have a choice”.

Mr Wall said that seeing people travelling abroad for such treatments “rips my heart out”, and that with increasing acceptance of such treatments on the international stage, “a decision will have to be taken here”.

While he praised the quality of palliative care available in Ireland, he stressed the lack of options for cases such as his. Mr Wall suggested that safeguards would restrict the legislation to such cases, and that “it’s not as if anyone could get access to it ... it’s not an open door”.

Brendan O’Shea, a general practitioner who represents more than 100 doctors advocating for improved end-of-life care, said the issue is “ethically complex”. He emphasised the importance of respecting the rights and views of those ethically opposed to the notion, particularly medical professionals, in an open and democratic discussion.

“The decision is not down to the medics at the end of the day though ... it’s down to the electorate”, he said, citing the campaign’s research that found almost three-quarters of Irish people want to see legalisation for assisted dying.

“Will this be passed in my lifetime?”, asked Mr Wall. “Most likely no. It’s about giving other people who are suffering the choice.”