Sir, – It is not for the first time that politicians have shown incredible insensitivity to the families of people who have died by suicide.
It is ironic that the Independent TD “Ming” Flanagan in the context of saving Roscommon Hospital’s emergency services should say of a senior HSE official that “if he was in his position he “would get a rope and hang myself”. (Home News, June 29th). Mr Flanagan has no idea of the trauma that is entailed in suicide and that he should trivialise it by his comments is disgraceful and even more so coming from a so-called responsible politician .
Indeed, in the same context, another politician, Senator John Kelly, did another disservice to the trauma of suicide by claiming that Luke “Ming” Flanagan had called for this senior health official to “commit suicide” (Seanad Report June 29th). Senator Kelly should be also sensitive to his use of language in describing suicide. People do not “commit” suicide; they die from suicide.
By his misuse of outdated moral and criminal language Senator Kelly only adds to a further trauma to that inflicted by “Ming” Flanagan TD on all the families of loved ones who have died by suicide. – Yours, etc,