Good afternoon

Back in October 2020, Ireland’s Dying with Dignity Bill was voted through its
Second Reading and progressed to the committee scrutiny stage. Since then, Irish
politicians and campaigners have been making steady progress towards the future
of this Bill.



Legalising assisted dying in Ireland is an enormous opportunity for change in
the UK. If the Irish Parliament passes the Bill, terminally ill, mentally competent
people in the Republic of Ireland would have access to an assisted death. Due to
the legal norms in the Republic, the legalisation of assisted dying would extend
to all residents “on the island of Ireland”.



This means that, in practice, the first UK citizens would have access to an assisted death - residents of Northern Ireland would be able to cross the border and access
assisted dying. This would put pressure on parliaments in Westminster and
Holyrood to grasp the nettle and help to move this issue up the political
agenda.



The committee examining the Bill have now launched a consultation - a crucial
stage of pre-legislative scrutiny. Dignity in Dying have responded to the consultation
[[link removed]] in support of the rights of our members in Northern Ireland to a dignified
death.



If you have friends or family who live in Ireland, you can also encourage them
to respond to the consultation.



Have your say →
[[link removed]]

There’s still a long way to go before the Bill becomes law and I’ll be sure to
keep you in the loop as the Bill progresses through the Irish Parliament. But
even getting this far in the process, so close to home, begs the question - why not here? A question that resonates in our public and political debate louder than ever
before.



We are doing all we can to support our Irish colleagues and we’ll be sure to let
you know if there’s anything you can do to help. End of Life Ireland will be
launching next week and you can follow their updates via their Facebook page.
[[link removed]]



All the best,





Sadie Kempner

Dignity in Dying

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