In a surprise announcement yesterday, the Dáil is set to take up the assisted suicide bill this coming Thursday. If passed, it would proceed to the committee stage to be hashed out in detail.

The bill is proposed by socialist TD, Gino Kenny, and other members of People Before Profit. It is also supported by the Labour party while Sinn Fein have promised to vote for its progress to the next stage of the legislative process.

Yesterday, Eamon Ryan, leader of the Green Party said the Government have not discussed it, but added he thought there is a real possibility of a conscience vote when it comes up for debate next week.

Meanwhile, a Canadian doctor has written to the Irish Times to say that assisted suicide legislation has resulted in far more deaths than was initially expected.

Dr Martin Owen wrote that the impact of that law has been nothing short of immense. “In the first full year of the new law, 1,015 lives were ended by euthanasia. This number has since risen to 4,467 in 2018 and 5,631 in 2019.”