Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I understand where Senator Mullen is coming from but we are trying not to have an "either-or" scenario. We are trying to ensure there is no question that where medical practitioners face critical situations and have put before them an EPA and an advance healthcare directive, they will know the legislation is moving away from that situation and only one document will guide medical practitioners in terms of having clear knowledge of what medical decisions are to be made.

It is important to note that the advance healthcare directive is designed specifically to give the key pieces of information. That is what it is centrally about. The EPA is not as specific on healthcare issues and is not designed to give the degree of specificity to a healthcare practitioner that an advance healthcare directive is designed to give.

The Senator may be correct that the EPA is a better known document but once this legislation is passed, the advance healthcare directive will become better known and understood and the fact that it is better designed to respond and provide the relevant information in these crisis situations will be recognised.