Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail)

I join with other colleagues in calling for a debate on suicide. We had a very good debate on this subject last year. As Senator Leyden stated, things have moved on. My concerns are about the reporting of such incidents, which has been handled most responsibly up to now by most if not all sections of the media. I am concerned about the reporting of the current case to which reference has been made. I do not wish to add further to that, other than to say that the remarks by some commentators may be seen to glamorise it in some way. Perhaps "glamorise" is not the correct word, but they have promoted the notion that assisted suicide is somewhat acceptable in certain circumstances. This will have the capacity of giving credibility to suicide and may lead to an increased risk of suicide among people who find themselves in detrimental situations where they see no way out. The reportage on this case is a move away from accepted standards. In the past we complimented the media on its reticence in terms of reporting on such matters but that has changed and it would be helpful if we had a debate in this House to discuss it further.