Dying with Dignity Bill 2020: Second Stage [Private Members]
Dail Éireann — 2020-10-01
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Mick Barry (PBP), Cork North-Central

The two previous speakers, my colleagues, made points about pain and people who die in pain. I want to speak about the people who are facing into an undignified death without control of their bodies or bodily functions and who make the choice to leave this world in a different way, namely, voluntary assisted death. If I had a terminal illness, getting progressively worse, and I was facing an undignified death would I want a choice in that situation? Yes, I would want to be able to say that if I am leaving this world, I am doing so on my terms and not on the terms dictated to me by an illness that is outside of my control. I also would want to make sure that the loved one or friend I reached out to and asked to help me in that situation would not face legal consequences, which is currently the position here.
We know the example of Gail O'Rourke, who helped her friend, Bernadette. On behalf of Bernadette, she went to the travel agent to pick up the tickets for the flight to Switzerland to Dignitas, where Bernadette hoped to have a dignified death, only to be met by the Garda, brought to Rathmines Garda station and later before the courts facing the possibility of 14 years' imprisonment. Gail did not go to jail but the possibility was hanging over her. This shows it is not a case of this practice being introduced into this county. It already exists in this country and has done for years but it is illegal. It is wrong that it is illegal. It should be legal. It should be put in proper legal context and people should have the right to die in dignity.

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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