(LifeSiteNews) — Ireland’s College of Psychiatrists has warned that proposed legislation advancing assisted suicide in the national Parliament could “expose more people to vulnerability” due in part to the already “sub-standard end-of-life care” in the country.
“Our college believes there is another way,” the group told the Joint Committee on Assisted Dying, which is set to make recommendations to the Irish Parliament (Oireachtas) next year.
In October 2020, People Before Profit legislator Gino Kenny tabled the Dying with Dignity Bill 2020 to the Oireachtas. The aim of the bill is to allow the option for assisted dying at the end of life for people suffering from a terminal illness. The Joint Committee on Assisted Dying, a special parliamentary committee, was established in January this year to examine the topic of assisted dying in Ireland.
On November 14, representatives from the College of Psychiatrists, Dr. Siobhan MacHale, Dr. Eric Kelleher, and Dr. Anita Ambikapathy spoke with the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Assisted Dying.
The medical team told the committee of their concerns about the protection of vulnerable people if a law was passed on euthanasia, the poor distribution of funding into palliative care, the dearth of psychological and psychiatric supports available, and the lack of thorough ethical research around end-of-life care.
Chief executive of the College of Psychiatrists in Ireland, Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist Dr. Siobhan MacHale, said that there were “many challenges to consider” regarding the provision of assisted suicide and that one of the main challenges Ireland faces is the health system “operating in an environment of sub-standard end-of-life care.”
MacHale believes “The answer to this is not to end our patients’ lives,” but instead legislatures should seek to “provide appropriate evidence–based interventions – ranging from improved pain control to family supports.”
“Addressing these deficiencies is the necessary next step, not to enable ending the lives of terminally ill people to avoid these challenges. We can do better,” said MacHale.
Kelleher, consultant liaison psychiatrist and a member of the college’s Human Rights and Ethics Committee, warned the committee that “normalizing” assisted dying could “expose more people to vulnerability.”
The psychiatrists advised Irish parliamentarians and policymakers that due to the “complexity of the proposed legislation,” greater input from patients and families was needed. They added that policymakers should look to prioritize better treatment care in mental health and palliative care instead of legalizing assisted dying in Ireland.
The Republic of Ireland is currently hearing from speakers regarding the possibility of legalizing assisted suicide. Since January 24, 2023, the parliamentary committee has been established to consider the legalization of euthanasia and to discuss the legal and ethical issues of assisted suicide, if it were to become law.
The push to legalize euthanasia in Ireland has been driven by the radical left in the country. Discussions and debates have been heated during hearings in Dublin. In October, during a committee hearing, pro-abortion and pro-cannabis Senator Lynn Ruane interrupted Professor William Binchy – a well-known legal adviser and lawyer in Ireland – saying:
What’s the concern for you if I die at the end of my life? How does it impact your life? You as a white privileged man, how does my death impact your life?
The Irish College of Psychiatrists concluded by telling the Committee on Assisted Dying that “It will take great wisdom and courage to find the balance for not just those who have clearly heard voices, but the unheard voices whispering from our future.”