‘The bill is there to give people a more dignified end,’ says a man (53) with terminal cancer

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The Dying with Dignity bill will allow terminally ill people to make “a choice” about how to live their last days and have “a more dignified death,” said a man with terminal cancer.

Brian Lynch of Gort, Co Galway, who was diagnosed with inoperable stomach cancer in late 2018, says passing the bill, which seeks to legalize assisted suicide, would allow people to regain control of their lives from a disease that it can dictate your every move. .

“When cancer comes to your door, you don’t have a choice to let it in,” the 53-year-old said. “We have to live with that cancer. But we should have the option to die with dignity. “

The private members bill, introduced by Solidaridad-Gente ahead of TD Gino Kenny’s earnings was debated in the Dáil on Thursday and will see its first vote next week. However, the Government has decided to propose an amendment that would stop the legislative process for a year to allow a special committee of the Oireachtas to examine the issue.

Lynch says the proposed legislation is not about giving “final instructions” on how to die, but rather it would offer terminally ill people an alternative to unnecessary suffering.

At the end of the day, it is the person with cancer who has to live with cancer. It should be that person’s choice

He had worked as a freelance house painter for two decades when he started experiencing heartburn in late 2018. He took Gaviscon for three weeks and made a doctor’s appointment when symptoms did not improve. A few weeks later, he was diagnosed with inoperable stage three stomach cancer. He underwent chemotherapy between January and September 2019 and after a six-month break from treatment, his cancer returned. He recently completed another 12 rounds of chemotherapy.

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