Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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I thank our witnesses for coming. Senator O’Loughlin asked me to convey her apologies that she is not physically present, but she is in online. She is meeting the Canadian delegation to the Council of Europe today to gain its perspective and experience on how it has introduced legislation to permit assisted dying.

One of our contributor’s today talked about this being a complex matter. Dare I say, the witnesses have added to the complexity. When I came here at the beginning, I was under the impression that because of the Fleming court case, we had the authority to legislate if we so decided and, equally, we had the authority to leave it as is if we so decided. However, today there is a 2:1 verdict in the other way. Perhaps the reason our courts are so full is that there are always competing arguments in any such case.

That being said, I thank the Samaritans for submitting a briefing document today to the committee on use of language and terminology, which is crucially important when dealing with such a sensitive issue. Whichever side of the argument one is on, it is always critically important to be respectful to this debate. I thank them for that.

When we talk about suicide – perhaps I could get the witnesses’ views on it – there is no right to die by suicide; it simply is fact that the Government and the Oireachtas decided to decriminalise it in the 1990s. There is no right for people to die by suicide. Briefly, from what the witnesses are saying today, we have to make more of a moral and ethical decision rather than a legislative one. One of the contributors started by saying perhaps they were not the best people even to be in giving advice because ultimately it is about palliative care, psychologists, etc. Perhaps witnesses will confirm that to me now. Again, I thank them for coming in.