A poll commissioned by My Death, My Decision Northern Ireland has revealed that 67% of people support assisted dying to some degree. With 40% of people saying they definitely support introducing an assisted dying law in Northern Ireland. My Death, My Decision welcomes this public support and calls on Stormont to set up a citizens assembly, so that the people of Northern Ireland can have their voices heard.
3,443 people responded to the question posed by LucidTalk, which said: “Would you support the legalisation of assisted dying in Northern Ireland for adults of sound mind who are terminally ill or suffering intolerably from an incurable condition? The law would include rigorous safeguards.”
- Definitely: 40%
- Probably: 27%
- Probably not: 9%
- Definitely not: 19%
- Don’t know not sure: 5%
Assisting anyone to die is illegal under Section 13 of the Criminal Justice Act (Northern Ireland) 1966.
If anyone would like to join My Death, My Decision Northern Ireland, please contact mdmd.nireland@gmail.com or join their Facebook group.
The special Oireachtas committee in the Republic of Ireland recommended back in March that legislation should be introduced to allow for assisted dying. An important consequence of a law in the Republic is that Irish citizens (or ordinary residents for twelve months) would be eligible. This would allow Northern Irish applicants to be able to access an assisted death in the Republic under the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act of 1956 and the Good Friday Agreement.
Gavin Walker, Chair of My Death, My Decision, Northern Ireland said:
“This is an overwhelming endorsement of our position that the people of Northern Ireland want their legislators to positively facilitate a debate on the issue of assisted dying. It is under consideration in every other jurisdiction across these islands, and it is time to begin the conversation here.
We understand this is a very sensitive issue for legislators, and to help frame the debate we are calling for the immediate establishment of a Citizens’ Assembly as outlined in the New Decade, New Approach Deal. This would facilitate a wide-ranging, evidence-based discussion on the issue across our community. We need a Northern Ireland-led approach to assisted dying legislation to ensure it will include the criteria and safeguards that best reflect what our society wants.”
Trevor Moore, Chair of My Death, My Decision, said:
“This poll has revealed that the people of Northern Ireland are keen to support an assisted dying law, giving suffering people the choice of how and when their lives might end with dignity.
In order to know what that law would look like in relation to safeguards and other key aspects, a valuable next step would be for Stormont to set up a Citizens’ Assembly. These have been used very effectively in places like France and Jersey as they allow citizens to have their say in much more depth.”
Notes:
Members of the MDMD team, as well as individuals affected by the current law on assisted dying, are available for interview upon request
Polling was carried out by Belfast based polling and market research company LucidTalk. The project was carried out online for a period of 4 days from 16th to 19th August 2024. 3,443 full responses were received. A data auditing process was then carried out to ensure all completed poll-surveys were genuine ‘one-person, one-vote’ responses, and this resulted in 1,051 responses being considered and verified as the base data-set (weighted and unweighted).
For further comment or information, media should contact Nathan Stilwell at nathan.stilwell@mydeath-mydecision.org.uk or phone 07456200033.
Media can use the following press images and videos, as long as they are attributed to “My Death, My Decision”.
My Death, My Decision is a grassroots campaign group that wants the law in England and Wales to allow mentally competent adults who are terminally ill or intolerably suffering from an incurable condition the option of a legal, safe, and compassionate assisted death. With the support of over 3,000 members and supporters, we advocate for an evidence-based law that would balance individual choice alongside robust safeguards and finally give the people of England and Wales choice at the end of their lives.
