Irish Catholic Bishops have called on lawmakers to not invert the purpose of healthcare by legislating for the killing of patients in a regime of ‘assisted dying’.

The Bishops made an appeal instead, “to respect the integrity of healthcare as a service to life from conception until natural death.”

Reflecting on serious illness, they say young and old can find hidden reserves of faith, hope and love, and use the time, “to express gratitude and to heal wounded relationships”.

By contrast, they note, some TDs and Senators want assisted suicide, presenting it as a way of respecting the autonomy of a person for whom life has become unbearable.

“In reality it is an abdication of the responsibility of society to support people who are terminally ill and their families, in living the final days and weeks of life as fully and richly as possible”.

They add: “From our knowledge of what has happened in other jurisdictions, it is also clear to us that the availability of assisted suicide is very quickly extended to include people with all kinds of life limiting conditions, including intellectual disability, whose continued existence is perceived to be a burden on society.”