Sir, – Prof P Anthony O'Brien quotes the Marie Fleming High Court case (2013) to make the point that vulnerable sectors of society would be at risk if the Dying with Dignity Bill 2020 became law (Letters, September 16th).
This case was appealed to the Supreme Court and was dismissed. But the judges in both cases were clearly aware of the suffering endured by Marie Fleming. Medical evidence submitted to the Supreme Court revealed a life of “suffering extreme pain”, and “with little or no dignity” in the advanced stages of multiple sclerosis.
In some cases the best palliative care will not be enough to persuade some patients to continue the struggle when there is nothing ahead but pain, debilitation, and loss of dignity.
Is it possible to legislate for assisted suicide without compromising the rights of the aged, the disabled and others who are vulnerable? Assisted suicide is legal in some jurisdictions – Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Canada, and several states of the US. The Oireachtas, therefore, has the benefit of precedents from other states when drafting overdue legislation to permit a terminally ill person with a “clear and settled intention to end his or her own life” (Dying with Dignity Bill 2020). – Yours, etc,
Dr DON O’LEARY,
Mallow,
Co Cork.