Ireland Assisted Suicide Debate Heats Up

Here’s more on the current assisted suicide debate in Ireland.

Right to die raises serious questions

The decision by the woman bringing a case against the State challenging the law on assisted suicide to give up her right to anonymity is likely to spark increased debate on this highly-emotive issue.

It was not until 1993 that suicide was decriminalised in this country. However, the ban on assisting another person to commit suicide remains in force and anyone who is found guilty of breaching that ban can be sentenced to up to 14 years in prison. While the Supreme Court ruled in 1995 that a woman who had been in a persistent vegetative state for 20 years had the right to die a dignified and natural death, including the withdrawal of medical treatment, there are no indications that the court would strike down the legal ban on assisted suicide. more