Dying with dignity raises tricky ethical questions

YOU’D need the wisdom of Solomon to know which side to back in the right-to-die debate. Tom Curran, whose late wife Marie Fleming fought in the courts for the cause, helped persuade us of the need for compassion for those who endure unimaginable suffering due to life-limiting or terminal illnesses.

It’s undeniable that his lucid views, coupled with the late Vicky Phelan’s powerful advocacy, underpin the Irish Daily Mail poll showing an overwhelming 75% of respondents believe assisted dying should be permitted in some cases.

But we must also be realistic and acknowledge the inevitability of assisted dying becoming normalised, as the strict criteria for eligibility relax over time. Can we be sure that this would not lead to terrifying scenarios whereby people who feel they are a burden on the State or family might feel morally obliged to check out early?

Or where their loved ones might feel entitled to encourage them to set a departure date as the natural process of physical or mental deterioration progresses?

Who would want to live in a dystopian society where humanity is reduced to able-bodied people and the only life worth living is a materially productive one?

It is probably not a coincidence that support for assisted dying is highest among people aged under 35, at 80%, and among higher socioeconomic groups at 78% – essentially, two groups of people who either because of their youth or their spending power believe they have control over their lives.

Those of us who are older and wiser know that life is a lottery. It can turn on a sixpence and all notions of control are illusory.