8.Jun.2012 at 8 | Gavan Reilly
Today in Leinster House: June 8, 2012
It’s the first Friday of the month on which the Dáil has been around to sit, so it’s time for some opposition legislation…
10:30am – Private Members’ Business [Liam Twomey, Fine Gael] – Advance Healthcare Decisions Bill 2012 (second stage) – For the first time, the opposition brought before the Dáil comes from a member of a government party. Thankfully for the government itself, it’s not legislation which it itself feels the need to oppose. Dr Liam Twomey’s legislation would allow for the legal creation of a sort of ‘living will’ – giving people the right to make decisions about their end-of-life treatment before they might lose the competence to do so. There’ll be three hours of debate, and given that the government does not oppose the bill, no vote when it wraps up at 1:30pm.
All of the day’s business can be viewed on our Dáil streams for web and Facebook.
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This is an important issue for everyone who has a wish for how they want to be treated at the end of their life. Currently it is a grey area legally. While some people have clear wishes (such as “do not resuscitate orders”) in place, these do not have any legal standing. We would like to see this legislation in place alongside the pending Mental Capacity Bill so that issues of mental capacity are clear when someone is making or changing a living will. We hope that sufficient TDs will attend today’s debate on this important issue.