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Relief … & Reminder

in the Irish Sun, 11 January 2013

The decision was a relief, but it is also a reminder of the challenge society faces to make the end of life as positive as possible for everybody.

In a medical setting, a patient’s right to make decisions about their own body is highly valued.

However, there’s a difference between being allowed to refuse medical treatment and putting an onus on somebody else to provide some type of means to end one’s life.

To make it legal in general for any citizen to kill another citizen would be a huge step in the law, especially where there’s such an emphasis on the protection of life to the point that we don’t have a death penalty here.

There is also a real concern if could lead to pressure on a disabled or dying person, even if there is no overt pressure from people around them.