No recent consultation on assisted suicide from Govt bioethics panel

The Minister for Health has failed to say whether the Government would be receiving any advice from a State advisory body on bioethics.

Laois Offaly TD, Carol Nolan had asked him whether he would direct the National Advisory Bioethics Committee (NACB) to investigate the ethical implications of assisted suicide, assisted dying and physician-assisted suicide.

The NACB was established by the former Minister for Health, Dr. James Reilly, in March 2012 to advise on the ethical and social implications of scientific developments in human medicine and healthcare.

The Minister said the multi-disciplinary group has met on a number of occasions since its establishment and considered various complex and sensitive issues that society in general, and the healthcare system in particular, confront.

He added that the most recent work published by the NACB, entitled “Nudging in Public Health – An Ethical Framework”, was published in April 2016.

“No decision has been made regarding the next topic on the work programme for the NACB”.

https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/questions/?member=%2Fie%2Foireachtas%2Fmember%2Fid%2FCarol-Nolan.D.2016-10-03