Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I support fully what Senator O'Loughlin said about the need for hospice services in the midlands. I was delighted to hear her quote Dame Cicely Saunders, who made such a massive contribution to the world in developing hospice care and in her vision of hospice and end-of-life care. I ask for a rolling debate in the Seanad on palliative care services and end-of-life care. I do this in the context of the considerable media focus over recent days on Private Members' legislation which aims to create a right to assisted suicide in this country. That is a very delicate and sensitive matter and careful and broad-ranging debate across our society will be needed before any kind of change is contemplated.

I am the first to support the principle of a free vote, particularly in matters of conscience. Our politics have suffered because of a lack of respect for free votes over recent years. That does not mean, however, that legislation should be rushed through on the back of media campaigns focusing on one side of a debate only. Let these impressive people with compelling personal stories be heard but there are other impressive people, who are perhaps less activist publicly, who have real fears about what change in this area would mean and whose life experience has shown that much can be accomplished when palliative care services are developed and strengthened. I prepared a report on this matter for the Council of Europe in 2018. Palliative care is not just about the management of pain. It is about psychological, spiritual, social and emotional support not only for the persons who are unwell or at the end of their lives but for their families. So much can be achieved. I regret the narrative put forward recently which uses terms such as "unbearable pain" because it tends to deny the tremendous things that have been achieved in the area of palliative care.We need to have a full and broad-ranging discussion of that. When we do, people will be reassured that what is being done for people with terminal illness and in need of end-of-life care in this country is far better and more hopeful than other solutions on offer or that have been canvassed in recent times. I am sorry for going over time. I hope that we in the Seanad can lead by having a broad-ranging debate on this issue. I believe we will contribute in a major way to public discussion if we do.