Assisted dying could become “almost an obligation” for those with a terminal illness, a bishop has claimed. 

Earlier this week, Dáil Éireann voted to “take note” of a report by the Oireachtas Committee on Assisted Dying that called for the practise to be legalised in limited circumstances. 

The vote does not mean assisted dying will be legalised in Ireland but it does indicate an openness among the current crop of TDs to consider it. 

On The Hard Shoulder, Kevin Doran, Bishop of Elphin and Chairman of the Bishops’ Council for Life said he sympathised with those who fear a protracted and painful death. 

“I’m very conscious that people who have a serious illness and are living with a terminal illness can feel themselves to be very vulnerable,” he said. 

“Sometimes they may even say things like, ‘I wish I were dead’ - but I’ve never actually come across anyone who wanted to die. 

“What they want is to not have to go on living with physical or emotional pain.”

Bishop Doran said that instead of helping people to end their life, instead society should do “much more” to make them comfortable in their final days. 

To those who believe both better palliative care and assisted dying should be available, he added that he feared the consequences of legalising the practise. 

“The difficulty with that is you once you legislate for assisted suicide, what happens is that people who are already vulnerable feel under pressure to ‘do the decent thing’ and agree to it,” he said. 

“Quite often, we find that legislation that begins by allowing something becomes almost an obligation to make it happen. 

“We see that  happening particularly in the way in which healthcare professionals are put under pressure. 

“This has happened with the abortion legislation where there’s increasing pressure on healthcare professionals to participate.” 

Other jurisdictions

Bishop Doran said the examples of countries that had legalised assisted dying had not qualmed his fears. 

“Belgium, the Netherlands, Canada and the US State of Oregon are all examples of jurisdictions where assisted suicide has been legalised,” he said. 

“Those places started off by proposing very limited and controlled situations in which all sorts of protections would be offered and everything would be safe and limited. 

“Very quickly, those protections…. they disappeared.” 

On Wednesday, the Welsh Parliament voted symbolically against legalising assisted dying by a margin of 26 votes to 19.

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Main image: Bishop Kevin Doran. Picture by: RollingNews.ie