'People should have the choice': Cork medics offer views on report on assisted dying  

A CORK GP and psychiatrist have expressed differing views on the recommendations of the joint committee on assisted dying.

The committee published its final report yesterday, recommending that the Government introduces legislation allowing for assisted dying in certain, restricted circumstances.

'People should have the choice'

Cork GP Dr Andy Lyne welcomed the decision of the committee, saying: “They’ve listened to experts, particularly international experts.

“The topic has been reviewed in a careful and comprehensive manner, and we would now hope that these recommendations would be acted on if not by this Government, then the next.”

He added: “Over the years, I’ve had patients who have asked me for assisted dying, people who were suffering with illness despite the best palliative care.

“People should have the choice.

“It’s about respecting and supporting reasonable choices.

“I don’t believe people should have to suffer due to the moral beliefs of others. If it is the choice of an individual that they want to avoid unnecessary suffering, then we should respect that.”

Recommendations could be 'dangerous'

Consultant liaison psychiatrist Dr Eric Kelleher explained that he works with people who are terminally ill, and “who often express the wish to die”, but worries that following the recommendations of this report could be very dangerous.

Dr Kelleher explained that many factors could be at play, such as untreated mental illness, explaining “as a country, we have made suicide reduction a priority”.

“At present, our policies see people with physical illness as a priority group, we recognise that this group has high rates of mental illness and distress.

“Changing the legislation will reframe how we view people.

“There’s a real risk that people with untreated mental illnesses will express the wish to die and be given an assisted death, when what they needed is a response from health or social services, so there are real risks with the change of the law,” he said.

38 recommendations made 

The report makes 38 recommendations in total, including that palliative care and the operation of assisted dying should operate completely separately, and any potential legislation on assisted dying should use “clear and unambiguous terms”.

Several of the recommendations centre around legality, with the report stating that any person — including medical personnel — who is proven guilty of coercion or fails to adhere to relevant statutory requirements will have committed a criminal offence.

The right to conscientious objection of all doctors should be protected by law, and doctors should be trained to the highest level possible to identify coercion when assessing or treating a patient.

The report also recommends that “research be carried out on the relationship between economic disadvantage and health inequalities, and the question of people feeling a burden”.