Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 30 January 2024

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Assisted Dying

System for Assisted Dying and Alternative Policies: Discussion

Professor Ben White:

Just to mention that in some of the research we have done, the coercion we have seen is actually in the opposite direction. As Professor MacLeod mentioned, often families will want their loved ones to hang on. They will say, "Don't go. Don't go down this path". There was some discussion, when we interviewed family members and doctors, about leaning on mum or dad and asking if they can have a little bit more time. That is an important point when we are thinking about coercion, that it can also go the other way because we have a natural tendency to want our loved ones to be here with us.