Elaine Loughlin: Election will place assisted dying legislation onto politicians' to-do list

Throughout the discussions in front of the Joint Committee on Assisted Dying, it became clear that assisted dying is an area that is far from clear cut

Tom Curran (left), husband of the late Marie Fleming (right), in appearing before a Joint Committee on Assisted Dying urged politicians “not to allow Marie’s death to have been in vain”. File photo: Sam Boal/RollingNews.ie

Cross-party recommendations on assisted dying mark a significant step forward, but we are still a long way off laws to provide the right to die to people suffering with terminal illnesses.

With the clock now ticking down to a general election, which is tipped to take place in the Autumn, legislation to deal with what is a highly emotive, delicate and contentious issue certainly won't be top priority for the current Government.