Many in Ireland are aware that the Dying with Dignity Act 2020 — An Bille um Bás Dínitiúil, 2020 — will not progress because as Mr. Lawless noted, it is not “legislatively workable” due to “a number technical legal errors.”
Obviously (!) that decision was made without any reference to the 1400+ submissions received by the Justice Committee of the Oireachtas — most overwhelmingly opposed to the legislation! Sure.
The brilliant news is that resistance is not futile!
In much the same way that Ireland’s legislation was pushed during the pandemic, the UK introduced two Bills through the House of Lords mid-pandemic while the NHS was nearly overwhelmed keeping people alive. The first Bill lapsed. The most recent version is basically identical and called the Assisted Dying Bill (HL Bill-13.)
The medical response in Canada to our “Medical Assistance in Dying” was at best, muted. (MAiD includes Assisted Suicide & Voluntary Euthanasia.) The official response from the Canadian Medical Association and its subsidiary medical associations, was to take a “neutral” approach — in other words they provided no particular medical opposition.
I hope that the UK notes the vast differences in response and outcomes between Canada and Ireland.
My focus is now to write for the UK: Catholic Arena will keep readers apprised of the progress there. I will be holding up the Irish response as a beacon of hope! It shows the British people and medical organizations that it can be done.
If there is one concrete benefit to opposing Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia, it is for people like Canadian Lia (Garifalia) Milousis, who tells her poignant story in the video below.
“I’m the future version of myself who survived to tell you this.”
Dr. Kevin Hay