Lynn Ruane (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their participation this morning. It has been an interesting nine months. I do not think the next part of the process will be easy. I agree with Deputy Farrell's point about the Department that no one needs to be told about the importance of palliative care in Ireland. They are things we know. We have supported families through those services. I feel that sometimes people have come here to advocate for palliative care without addressing the issue of assisted dying. That has not helped me to be able to consider what assisted dying may look like, whether we agree with it or not. This is what has left me still unsure about how to move things. People have come here with the intention to defend a status quoin some way without necessarily stating that fact bluntly. That has not really given us the information to be able to move around what a potential model could look like, should it be introduced. That is where I am still stuck.

To Dr. Ní Bhriain, I am curious about the intergenerational impact of assisted dying. The two reports she provided us with are about suicide. Does Dr. Ní Bhriain believe that suicide, as we understand it, is the same as assisted dying?