The Oireachtas Committee on Assisted Dying is currently considering recommendations for legislative change relating to assisted dying in Ireland. The Humanist Association of Ireland believes that legislation should be enacted to permit assisted dying, subject to certain conditions and safeguards.

We believe that this is an essential move forward, which would give people with terminal, incurable or progressive conditions the freedom to make the best decisions for themselves, when they are suffering unbearably, and it would show compassion and respect at the end of their life. They should have the choice to die on their own terms, surrounded by their loved ones.

Garret Ahern talked to us about his wife’s decision to avail of assisted dying in Belgium. And while it was not easy for Garret to share his heartbreaking story, he believes that through his story, people might understand that it is a person’s right to choose how they will die. He hopes people will understand that assisted dying allows people to not only die with dignity, but to also be in control of how they will end their life that has become unbearable for them. And unlike his wife Vicky, Garret wishes people had the right to die surrounded by their family and friends, in a place that they consider home because he experienced how important and needed it is.

Read more about our Assisted Dying Campaign here