Tanaiste Leo Varadkar, Justice Minister Helen McEntee, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly and Higher Education Minister Simon Harris were among those who voted in favour of an assisted suicide bill in the Dail last night.
By a margin of 81 votes to 71 votes, the bill has been passed to second stage where it will now be examined by the Justice Committee.
A Government counter-motion to pause it for 12 months was defeated. The opposition of palliative care doctors was ignored.
Sinn Fein, the Greens, and all the smaller parties of the left, plus 10 FG TDs and 4 members of FF voted for the bill.
An earlier motion by the Government to set up a special Oireachtas Committee to examine the issue in depth, while the bill was put on hold for 12 months, failed by a vote of 65 to 86. Non-cabinet members of the Government parties were allowed vote against the it.
In response, leader of Aontu, Peadar Toibin, decried the lack of scrutiny and said the manner in which the bill was passed was shocking. He noted there had been only 70 mins debate, after which 4 minutes were given to those who opposed the bill, a position ultimately adopted by 71 TDs.
The Pro-life campaign released a statement saying it is “extremely troubling to see a bill designed to facilitate the ending of human life pass second stage with such ease and without any meaningful debate or scrutiny whatsoever.”
