Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Professor Lewis for travelling to Ireland for this meeting. That we have such high-level presentations from all of our guests today is a reflection of the seriousness with which the joint committee views this issue. The level at which we are discussing it is reflective of the desire of members to address the matter as one of the key equality agenda issues for our term of office. In that sense, Professor Lewis's contribution will be incredibly useful because we are discussing the most recent international evidence and legal examples from other jurisdictions. It has given members a very good perspective on the complexity of an issue with which other jurisdictions have had to grapple and which this committee is also trying to do address.

I want to have the right to make a decision on this issue if I ever come to believe I cannot go on due to an illness that is having an impact on my quality of life. I would like to think I would take the same view in respect of any of my loved ones. I am in favour of anything that assists this process and I believe most people take the same view. We are in favour of having an ability to control our lives and deciding the circumstances in which it be best for us to die. I do not believe these circumstances are restricted to terminal conditions, for example, I am in favour of applying them to cases involving degenerative conditions. That is my personal view, although I believe most people agree with me.

The objections that have been made in this exchange and earlier discussions appear to be twofold. The first is that assisted suicide will be exploited and people will have loved ones murdered and so on. While this is a real concern, killing someone against their will and when he or she has not taken a decision to die is, I presume, manslaughter or murder and regulations are in place to deal with such circumstances. The issue, therefore, is not whether the law allows somebody to make a rational decision to end his or her life as there should be other ways to deal with that argument. I ask Professor Lewis to explore this issue.

The second argument made against assisted suicide is that it assists in a cultural change and devalues certain groups of citizens. I also ask Professor Lewis to comment on this view. We cannot view these matters in isolation. If I am being honest, the message sent out to old people in Ireland is that they are a burden. We need only consider the state of our health service and the way we treat older people, which is incredibly disrespectful and much worse than in Mediterranean countries such as Italy where they are revered and valued. If I was an older person with a serious illness who was worried about my family, I would make my decision within the current societal norms. If we are truly concerned about valuing the lives of older people, we would argue for investment in the health service, respect for older people, the provision of better pensions and so forth. It would mean addressing these cultural issues because we send a message that older people are less valued. Is it surprising then that in such circumstances people will decide they may as well depart the scene because they are a burden? We tell them all the time they are a burden. What I am trying to get at are cultural issues and choice. I firmly believe that most people share my view that individuals have a right to make this decision but they would be worried about unintended consequences. I ask Professor Lewis to address the cultural issues, after which I will ask some questions on legislation.