Dr. Regina McQuillan:

When people refuse medical care, they are refusing aspects of medical care. Patients might decide to refuse antibiotics or ventilation but that does not mean they will refuse all medical care. Patients can pick and choose which bits of medical care they want. Patients may refuse medical care but opt to have pain relief, management of breathlessness or management of nausea. It is not a case that because they refuse, they are abandoned with no care. There are some patients who will refuse pain relief. Sometimes that is driven by different beliefs. It can be very difficult for me, as a palliative care doctor, if I am looking after somebody who refuses pain relief. Sometimes the refusal is on interesting religious or cultural grounds. I would never not treat somebody who is not taking the treatment I am offering. I would continue to support them.

I am here on behalf of the Irish Association for Palliative Care, IAPC, which a number of years ago produced a statement on voluntary euthanasia. As an organisation, the IAPC is opposed to voluntary euthanasia. It is involved in a consultation process about assisted suicide but our members are opposed to assisted suicide. I am also a member of the Irish Palliative Medicine Consultants' Association, which is the association of all the consultants in palliative medicine, and we are opposed to assisted suicide and have issued a statement on it. I am speaking as a spokesperson of the organisation; I am not saying I am speaking for absolutely everybody who works in palliative care. If one does a survey around the world, one will find that health care professionals in general are opposed to assisted suicide and euthanasia, whether that is medical or nursing professionals. In some countries, some organisations may be in favour or they may have no statement. Most health care organisations are opposed to assisted suicide and euthanasia.