Dying with Dignity Bill 2020: Second Stage [Private Members] Dail Éireann — 2020-10-01 ============================================================ Gino Kenny (PBP), Dublin Mid-West I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I wish to share my time with Deputies Barry and Boyd Barrett. I am thankful for the opportunity to have this debate. It is an important debate not only in this Chamber but also in the State itself. I wish to remember Marie Fleming, whose life ended seeking legislative change in regard to assisted dying in Ireland. Marie's incredible bravery and the fight she brought to the highest court in the land brought national attention to the most profound decision anybody could make. Her decision was to leave on her own terms, not in pain, not alone, but in dignity and surrounded by the ones she loved. Her life lives on. Her memory lives on. If she were here at this moment, she would be willing us all on to do the right thing. I thank Tom Curran, Marie Fleming's partner, Gail O'Rourke and Vicky Phelan for their input over the past five weeks. I want to thank Vicky especially for her support and for speaking candidly about the issue over recent weeks. Whatever the outcome next Wednesday, this issue can no longer be shunned away. The Bill has 15 Parts. The Bill would change the law in Ireland and help terminally ill people to control their own death when they decide their suffering is no longer bearable. At present, it is illegal for doctors and medical professionals to help terminally ill people in unbearable pain to end their own lives. This Bill would change that. Some people suffering from a terminal illness that will inevitably result in death face losing control over their lives and may have conditions that no longer respond to palliative care. The Bill would allow a person, who must be over 18 and suffering from a terminal illness, to make a declaration to two independent medical professionals requesting assistance to end his or her life. A third individual, an independent witness, must be present. The person seeking assistance must be diagnosed as having an incurable and progressive illness that cannot be reversed by treatment. The medical professionals must be sure the person has the capacity to make a rational choice and is fully aware of the alternatives, such as palliative care. Fourteen days after the process, the medical practitioner can administer substances to the person to assist in his or her passing. This Bill has safeguards and protections to ensure the person seeking help can make a decision independently and not under duress of any kind. This Bill does not allow for assisted dying in cases where a person looking for help does not suffer from a terminal illness. People suffering from depression or any mental health issues could not access this law. People suffering from life-threatening physical illnesses could not avail of assisted dying. People of advanced age could not avail of this law. It applies only to those suffering from a terminal illness and only to adults with full mental capacity and who are able to make a rational and conversant decision about their lives. Opponents of assisted dying say it would lead to a slippery slope, whereby the value of human life would be diminished. They fear vulnerable groups, such as the elderly and disabled, will be pressurised into assisted dying because they feel they are a burden on society. In fact, in the countries and regions where laws have been changed to help people, there is no evidence that this has ever happened. Oregon, for example, has had a similar law since 1997 and none of these trends has been observed. Other regions and countries have had the same experience, namely, Colorado, California, Washington, Montana, Vermont, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Luxemburg and certain states in Australia. We want better supports and care for our elderly and those with disabilities. We want greater resources for hospice care and palliative care but there is no contradiction in supporting these and the right of people coming to the end of their lives who are suffering from unbearable pain. Some opponents of this legislation have used completely inappropriate language to conflate suicide and voluntary assisted dying. It is wholly inappropriate and irresponsible to use this kind of language. I ask Deputies to reflect on their positions and desist from using such language. I understand that the Government is tabling an amendment to this Bill. As I stated a number of days ago, this will unduly delay the Bill's progression to pre-legislative scrutiny. I do not understand why it has to go to an all-party committee because it has been discussed at length, even by an all-party Oireachtas committee on equality and justice two and a half years ago. I do not see why the Bill has to go down the route the Government would have it go down. I do not doubt the sincerity of the Minister and other Deputies in the Government benches but I doubt the rationale for unduly delaying the Bill with the amendment. This debate is extremely difficult for everybody, regardless of their views. All voices and opinions should be taken into account but the most important voice in the debate is that of a person with a terminal illness who does not want to go through unbearable pain. He or she should have a choice. This Bill is about giving a choice to people facing unbearable pain. We should support them and not vilify them. Let me refer to a lady called Gaynor French, who passed away a number of years ago. I will always remember an article of hers in the Irish Examiner . I read it today again. It contains a statement that says everything about this very important issue: "I have lived with dignity. I want to die with dignity." --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2020-10-01/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:48:38+00:00 Sitting date: 2020-10-01