Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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I thank everyone for sharing their testimony today. What we are talking about is a difficult thing to do. As a committee and as legislators, we are trying to grasp and understand the issue of assisted dying and hear each other.

First, I want to remember some people who probably would have been here today. Brendan Clarke was meant to give testimony today but unfortunately he passed away in August. Vicky Phelan would have loved to have been here. She was so passionate about this issue. She spoke to myself and to Mr. Curran and Mr. Wall about her circumstances. Vicky has been a catalyst for many things, including her support for the Bill in 2020. That is important in people’s understanding of what assisted dying is and for people trying to understand why people should have a choice. Vicky always said, “Walk in my shoes” and encouraged people to think about what they would do in her circumstances. I have said many times that some people with a terminal illness will never want to avail of assisted dying, even if it was legislated for tomorrow.

However, there are some people who want the choice and to have control. I have very personal experience of this. We all have experiences of issues such as this and that is what we are trying to grasp today. Can we legislate in this country, in an Irish context? Yes, we can. We have seen other countries legislate. There are concerns about the parameters of assisted dying. Again, I have stated that it should be restricted to a certain cohort of people who then have a choice. As with all legislation, it will be reviewed. It can be changed over time but that is up to legislators. We are the legislators. We are elected by the people of Ireland to deal with issues that are difficult at times. I support assisted dying but it is a difficult issue to talk about. It is a complex issue but it is important we talk about it and I hope we can legislate over time.

A number of other people have passed away who were huge advocates for assisted dying such as Marie Fleming who I think was the catalyst ten years ago. There was also Bernadette Forde and Gaynor French. They were among a number of people, who I did not know personally but whose cases I knew of. Their personal testimonies and their circumstances have been the cutting edge of why we are having this debate, why we are here, and why we are thinking about this issue. I hope the law will change.

My allocated time is short but it is more important to hear from the witnesses. For balance, what would the witnesses say - in a minute or less - to legislators who have not made up their minds about this issue? I will ask the four witnesses to respond.