The so-called Dying with Dignity bill by far-left TD, Gino Kenny, would permit anyone likely to die from an illness to avail of assisted suicide no matter how far from death they actually are.
Serious legal concerns had been raised about the bill by the Office of Parliamentary Legal Advisers.
In a report published yesterday, the Justice committee said the Bill “has serious technical issues in several sections, that it may have unintended policy consequences – particularly regarding the lack of sufficient safeguards to protect against undue pressure being put on vulnerable people to avail of assisted dying – that the drafting of several sections of the Bill contain serious flaws that could potentially render them vulnerable to challenge before the courts, and that the gravity of such a topic as assisted dying warrants a more thorough examination which could potentially benefit from detailed consideration by a Special Oireachtas Committee”.
It concluded then that the Bill “should not progress to Committee Stage but that a Special Oireachtas Committee should be established, at the earliest convenience, to progress the matter”.
