Catholics told to lobby politicians about Assisted Dying Bill

In advance of the Final Report of the Joint Committee on Assisted Dying discussion, which takes place in the Dáil today, representatives from both politics and the Church, including Archbishop Eamon Martin, called on people to either “seek commitments” from TDs and senators or alternatively “lobby their politicians now and in the run up to the election” to ensure that the Government assists “people to live, not to die”.

Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Senator Rónán Mullen, one of the most vocal critics of assisted dying, said that to enact a law of this nature would be “toxic for our society” and called on people to lobby their politicians by voicing their opposition.

“Campaigners for euthanasia are relentlessly pushing a culture of death in both Britain and Ireland,” he said. “A euthanasia law would be toxic for our society. It would change forever the way society sees the old, the sick and the disabled. It would change the way our doctors see us. And it would change the way people see their own lives when they become more vulnerable.

“It is vital that people lobby their politicians now and in the run up to the election — especially the parties who may be returned to Government or the people who may hold the balance of power. We need clear, written commitments on what politicians are going to do or not do and insist that these politicians go on the public record about their intentions before people vote.”

President of Ógra Aontú John Bryan, whose organisation will be staging a protest outside of the Dail later on Thursday to highlight young people’s opposition to assisted suicide, decried the Bill and said that the Government must prioritise assisting people to live, not die.

“We believe the Government should be assisting people to live, not to die,” he said. “The Assisted Dying Bill itself is a chilling piece of legislation in a so-called caring and compassionate society. Any prosperous, caring society would push for assisted living measures, not assisted dying.

“The question is, do we really want to go down this route? We want to call on the Government to choose life. Our goal is to show that young people care about this issue. This issue is not about a medical procedure, it’s about how we view and value life as a nation and we call on the Government to abandon this Bill.”

Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin also strongly condemned the move towards legalising assisted suicide. In a recent statement, he described the legislation as “an affront to a safe and protective society”, urging society to oppose it.

“As a society, we are defined by the extent to which we care for our most vulnerable persons,” he said, calling on politicians and the public to resist any law that would undermine the sanctity of life. Archbishop Martin encouraged voters to seek commitments from their TDs and senators regarding investment in palliative and hospice care.