Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Tuesday, 24 October 2023
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Assisted Dying
Assisted Dying and the Ethics of Autonomy: Discussion
Mr. Andrew Copson:
As I said in my opening statement, the position I continue to support is that the person's feeling about his or her quality of life - we might call it a subjective view; of course, everyone's feelings are subjective - should be the deciding ethical factor. In addition, jurisdictions will put in medical and other safeguards around that. A reduction in quality of life that is the result of an incurable physical illness, which is another crucial qualification, should be the ethical factor.