Statement of Bishop William Crean
Bishop of Cloyne
Assisted Suicide V Assisted Death
The current General Election campaign is distinguished by the fact that it hasn’t ‘caught fire’.
This is disturbing because it indicates something of a tacit consensus ‘round what the important national issues are.
It is disconcerting to find that the total silence ‘round the critical issue of Assisted Suicide/Assisted Death.
On an evening just prior to the calling of the General Election a vote took place to accept the recommendation of the Oireachtas Committee’s Report on the issue. In substance, a majority of the Oireachtas approved proceeding with the provision of a framework to assist in the death of some in certain circumstances.
Bishop William Crean, Bishop of CloyneThis issue will be revisited in the next Dáil. Our past experience has taught us that promises are not always kept by politicians.
My appeal is simply that when being canvassed over these days ask prospective T.D.’s to indicate clearly where they stand on this critical issue.
Our population is aging. The cost of nursing care is increasingly difficult for families. Enormous pressure will be brought to bear on frail elderly and others diagnosed with terminal illness to succumb to a potentially new culture of death.
How we care for the weakest and most vulnerable goes to the core of our moral fibre and integrity as a society.
Compassion must always be our first response in the face of pain. Our palliative care culture and organisation across the country are an extraordinary witness to compassionate care for all approaching life’s end.
St. John Henry Newman in a reflection on his life entitled,
‘I have my Mission…’ states,
“If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him
in perplexity my perplexity may serve Him.
If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him
He does nothing in vain.”
The path being proposed on this issue has been followed in Canada under the acronym MAID (Medical Assistance in Dying).
Michael Coren, a Canadian Anglican Priest, writing in The Times 13th November 2024 concluded his assessment of their experience.
“It’s undeniable that what was proposed as enlightened and overdue has taken on a frightening form of its own, with even mental health now proposed as a qualification for assisted dying. Clichés aside, some slopes are grimly slippery.”
Hence my plea, now is the time to ask the question. Where do you stand on the issue of assisted suicide/death?
ENDS
