Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 14 October 2020
244. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice if she had discussions or engagements with palliative care consultants or medical professionals prior to the Dáil Éireann votes on the Dying with Dignity Bill 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30514/20]
View answerThe issue of assisted dying is a very complex issue which gives rise to medical, ethical and moral issues, as well as criminal justice and constitutional issues.
It was for this reason that I, along with my colleague the Minister for Health, Mr. Stephen Donnelly T.D., tabled a timed amendment to the Dying with Dignity Bill seeking to refer it to a special committee to allow for the complex issues arising to be considered in detail and for hearings to be convened by an Oireachtas Committee which would ensure that expert witnesses could be called to give evidence. However, this amendment was not adopted, and the Bill then passed second stage.
The Bill as originally proposed will now proceed to pre-committee scrutiny where it will be examined section by section. The detailed process at pre-committee will afford an opportunity for the provisions of the proposed PMB to be fully debated.
While the Bill as proposed does provide a number of safeguards, including that the process is medically led and that the person must be terminally ill, there are still important issues that will need to be considered as the Bill progresses through the legislative process. Of utmost importance will be ensuring that the competing interests of the individual are balanced with the wider public interest in safeguarding people who are nearing the end of their lives and who might be vulnerable and at risk of abuse.
There is a vital public interest in protecting vulnerable people, which we want to ensure, and it is important that the Oireachtas takes its time to consider the proposed law in its entirety, including all of the necessary procedures and safeguards that should be provided if the Bill is to be adopted. The views of all stakeholders, and in particular of medical professionals and palliative care consultants, will be an important part of the considerations that feed into this process.
I can inform the Deputy that I did not have any discussions or engagements with palliative care consultants or medical professionals prior to the Dáil Éireann votes on the Dying with Dignity Bill 2020. I can confirm that a number of submissions were sent into my Department in relation to the Private Members Bill prior to the vote, a small number of which were from palliative care consultants and medical professionals.
