John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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I was very taken by Dr. McDonagh's written contribution. It is very powerful. I will certainly be advocating inclusion in any report of some of the elements she has mentioned today with regard to assisted living. One of the big learnings for me throughout recent months is that as a State, we need to redouble our efforts. This does not mean we are going to get it right, but we need to take a good long look at and analyse how we assist people in living, see where the failings are and discover how we can do much better. My simple summary of what has been said is that if we help people to live, it is not that we would not be looking at assisted dying but that the conversation around it might not be as broad. Dr. McDonagh has been very provocative - I mean that in a positive sense - about the area of dignity for people with disabilities. I have had a reality check because we have been talking about burdensomeness and dignity at the end of life for people. It has been a constant theme here that people feel they have become a burden and that there can be a loss of dignity in the face of very serious illness and terminal illness. Dr. McDonagh has highlighted that the loss of dignity can be a lifelong issue for people and not exclusively people with disabilities but also people who face varying challenges.

One of the pieces of evidence included John Donne's poem, "No man is an island." I grappled with that for very many years. When I was a psychotherapist, I saw people who had depression and they certainly felt like islands.

There are times in people's lives, no matter how lofty or noble the intervention may seem, where ill health completely separates people from the rest. It is not until you experience this that you really know what this separation involves.

I do not really have questions. I found the witness's statement a very powerful evocation. It is something we need to be mindful of in our final report.