Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Tuesday, 27 June 2023
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Assisted Dying
Consent and Capacity: Discussion
Dr. Louise Campbell:
I absolutely agreed with the Senator that the decision to do nothing is a decision and has an outcome, like the outcome of any action. The doctrine of double effect and the acts and omissions distinction were necessary fictions when Catholic doctrine collided with the necessities of modern healthcare. They have served their useful purpose and there is a lot of philosophical rumbling around these issues but we do not need them any more. They are a legacy.