Irish Examiner view: Law on assisted dying would have to come with safeguards

If we are to enact the Dying with Dignity Bill, its limitations would have to be protected in the Constitution

Anyone with an ounce of compassion would have sympathy for advocates for assisted dying — but even those who support the Dying with Dignity Bill ought to heed the cautions of medical and legal experts alike. Stock picture: Lynne Cameron/PA

An Oireachtas committee is to be established early in the new year to consider in detail the issue of assisted dying, a topic that provokes passionate debate on both sides of the argument. The public face for what is characterised as a right to die with dignity is Vicky Phelan, an extraordinary woman and a courageous cervical cancer campaigner who supports the Dying with Dignity Bill, introduced by Eugene “Gino” Kenny, a People Before Profit/Solidarity TD. 

It is a little over a year since Vicky called on the Government and all TDs to allow her to “die with dignity” by supporting the bill to allow terminally ill people to end their own lives.