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 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.
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.
