A demonstration calling for the legalisation of assisted dying in Ireland is taking place in Dublin this afternoon, with medical professionals urging the Government to introduce legislation recognising it as a civic right.
The protest coincides with World Right to Die Day and centres on proposals that would allow people with a terminal illness and a prognosis of less than six months to voluntarily choose to end their lives with medical assistance.
The proposed model has been put forward by a group of doctors who believe individuals facing the final stages of a terminal illness should have the right to make decisions about how and when they die.
Dr Brendan O'Shea, a GP in Kildare and member of Irish Doctors supporting Medical Assistance in Dying, said people deserved the right to choose and argued that assisted dying should be recognised as a civic right.
The group is also calling for the Government to consider legislation that would establish a regulated framework for medical assistance in dying.
Dr O'Shea said the majority of people in Ireland supported the group's position, as campaigners seek to bring the issue further into the public and political debate.
Assisted dying is already legal in a number of jurisdictions internationally, including 13 countries and several US states. Countries where it is permitted include Canada, Australia and New Zealand, although eligibility requirements and legal safeguards vary between jurisdictions.
Today's demonstration, set to take place outside Leinster House, is expected to renew calls for political consideration of assisted dying in Ireland.
