'Vote of conscience': Micheál Martin says FF TDs will have free vote on assisted dying report

THE FINAL REPORT by the Oireachtas Committee on Assisted Dying will go before the Dáil next week.

TDs will cast a vote on the report on Wednesday.

The report, which was published in March, recommended that assisted dying should be made legal under strict criteria.

Accepting the report will not mean that a law is passed, but will indicate the level of support among politicians.

Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said his party, Fianna Fáil, will have a free vote on the issue – meaning the party’s whip will not direct its TDs on which way to vote.

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People Before Profit TD Gino Kenny has called on other parties to follow suit.

Nine out of the 14 members of the Oireacthas committee on assisted dying supported the report as a split emerged in the closing days of the committee. 

Independent TD Michael Healy-Rae, who has acted as the chair of the committee, Independent Senator Ronan Mullen, and Fianna Fail TD Robert Troy all said at the time that they fundamentally disagreed with the conclusions. 

The three members published a minority report of their own on the issue.

Speaking yesterday in the Dáil, Kenny asked the Tánaiste if Government parties would be granting TDs a free vote on the issue.

Martin said: “Even though I do not agree with such legislation and have very serious reservations about it, nonetheless, it will be a vote of conscience for each individual member of our party.”

“I cannot speak for other parties in the Government,” he added.

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