Annie Hoey (Labour) | Oireachtas source

Let me follow up with one point. I suppose the moral question will be further down the line, when there is pre-legislative scrutiny or other such scrutiny. There is a stance to the effect that there currently are ways in which people can die a dignified death or exit this life in a dignified way. That is what I take from these statements. Obviously, the move towards having a discussion on assisted dying has come from somewhere. There is, perhaps, a disconnect between what those in the medical field believe provides a dignified palliative end to life and what people believe to be a dignified end to life, because this conversation has not come out of the blue. Saying this does not discredit the work done in this area and the incredible support people can get, but this conversation has come from somewhere. Do the witnesses believe it has arisen because there may be a disconnect between what people believe about having a dignified end to their lives and a different position, or do people fear the unknown because they do not know what the options, including palliative ones, are? This is a hypothetical question.