In Oct 2012 Marie Fleming began proceedings in the High Court to challenge the law on assisted dying.  A few months earlier I had become a member of  DIGNITAS - To live with dignity - To die with dignity, more for my particular kidney trouble than my Multiple Sclerosis.  Marie’s case was a landmark legal action specifically testing the (criminal) Irish law on assisted suicide. Unsuccessful in the High Court, Marie appealed in the Supreme Court. Although not successful in the Supreme Court (29/5/13) this court nonetheless ruled that there was nothing to stop the Oireachtas passing legislation. In 2015 inspired by and in memory of Marie Fleming, TD John Halligan helped by her partner Tom Curran introduced the ‘Dying with Dignity Bill 2015’ in the Dáil.  It reached stage one. Chiefly, I believe for lack of courage and support from TD’s it didn’t progress. In 2017 the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice and Equality met on the Right to Die with Dignity. As reported in the ‘Report on the Right to Die with Dignity’ which followed in 2018 because of the lack of clear consensus this Committee was unable to recommend legislative change at that time. The Dying with Dignity Bill is a very good piece of legislation and deserves to be supported. You could show yours here.

“It is clear that the nature and scale of the response to climate change will be the determining factor in shaping the health of nations for centuries to come.” - The Lancet Countdown 2018. Climate change has dire implications for human health; exposing vulnerable populations to extreme weather events, altering patterns of infectious diseases, aggravating risks to mental health, and compromising food security, safe drinking water and clean air. Responding to this threat is a responsibility of the health profession. Irish Doctors for the Environment are joining the Global Climate Strike on September 20th to support the students in "calling for urgent action to prevent climate breakdown and ensure a just and sustainable future". A full list of the students' demands is available here: https://www.schoolsclimateaction.ie/ IDE are encouraging Irish health professionals and clinicians who cannot make it to the strike on September 20th to show their support for the cause by signing and sharing this petition.

School leavers and other adults with disabilities can attend Rehabilitative Training Courses run by the HSE or other specialist service providers. There are about 1,000 locations to do this training around the country. Rehabilitative Training Courses are courses to help develop life skills, social skills and basic work skills for people with disabilities. People who do these training courses usually have intellectual disabilities, complex physical disabilities, sensory disabilities, mental health difficulties or autism. Each year, around 400 school leavers enroll in these training courses. Trainees attend these courses for two to four years and are supported to develop and review training plans in line with their needs and abilities. Rehabilitative training is intended to help participants progress to greater levels of independence and integration in their community. It may help in transitioning to mainstream post-school education and training or to specialist vocational training. Participants who satisfy the relevant social welfare criteria may be eligible for a weekly Disability Allowance as well as a special training allowance, which is currently €31.80 per week. However, Minister Simon Harris and the HSE have decided to axe this extra training allowance of €31.80 per week for all school leavers who start a Rehabilitative Training Course in September 2019. In addition, The HSE, which has a deficit of €116 million, has warned that it may have to curtail funding to disability services. 1. Disability Women Ireland want the training allowance of €31.80 per week to be retained for individuals starting Rehabilitative Training Courses in September 2019. 2. Disability Women Ireland want to stop this threat to the funding of Rehabilitative Training Services. This training is extremely valuable to disabled people giving them skills, independence and the ability to contribute to Irish society. The Mission of Disabled Women Ireland is (DWI) is to be a National voice for the needs and rights of women, trans and non-binary people with disabilities and a National force to improve the lives and life chances of people with disabilities. “Equality for women, and equality for disabled people must work hand in hand if either is to be successful” — Disabled Women Ireland https://www.disabledwomenireland.org/ https://www.facebook.com/DWIreland/

Sruthan House, located in Dundalk Co. Louth, provides a vital respite service for people with physical and/or sensory disabilities. It is run by the HSE in partnership with the Irish Wheelchair Association. The centre provides twenty four hour respite care to both males and females aged 18 – 65 years old. Without Sruthan House their only alternatives are in Sligo, Roscommon and Dublin. This is Fine Gael's latest attempt at eroding our nation's health service and it cannot continue.

This is very important as lots of children have been alienated from their grandparents. Once these children turn 18 they are on their own. They will need full support from all extended family

The impact of the toxic chemicals on the Public is unknown and is as offensive as passive cigarette smokers 66% of Irish people polled would like it banned.

The adverse health effects from vaping is not yet known. Smoking was banned, yet vaping is permitted in enclosed public places at the discretion of the premises owner. The vapour is polluting the air we all breathe and just because it is colourless or odourless this does not conclude that it is harmless to public health.

Downgrading, staff cuts and a ban on any new admissions to the hospital presents an inevitable risk of full closure. It ultimately means that the hospital will lose beds and will no longer be able to facilitate respite care, step down care and long stay patients. A total of 21 beds were closed in Belmullet already between Áras Deirble Nursing Home and the Community Hospital. The Barony of Erris is a vast, highly dispersed area, the size of Co. Louth with a population of nearly 10,000 people. The main hospital is located in the county town of Castlebar- Mayo University Hospital is a 190km round trip from one of the farthest points in Erris, with patients having to travel one the worst roads in the country, the R312. With an ageing population and increased demand for step down and respite care, we cannot lose our hospital. This will put unimaginable pressure on older and vulnerable patients, their families and on Mayo University Hospital, where overcrowding and bed shortages are already an issue.

Our beautiful planet has reached a dangerous toxic load of Roundup weedkiller. In 2018 over 5 billion pounds of it was spread worldwide and this will rise each year if we do not stop it. Roundup's makers, Monsanto, have been proven in numerous high profile lawsuits to have hidden the scientific proof that it does not, as they claimed in the 1970s, break down in the soil; it remains active and therefore harmful for at least ten years. Yet still we spray. The fact that is does not break down is evidenced by it being found in urine and breast milk samples, and organic honeys which are nowhere near spraying. It is, at this stage, everywhere. It has been proven to attack beneficial bacteria in all lifeforms, including humans, and is linked to numerous diseases including cancers, celiac disease, autism and gluten intolerance. It is proven to kill honeybees and other pollinators, and has been implicated in the ill health and death of dogs and other pets. The only reason it is still on the shelves is because our business-focused governments keep lobbying to keep it there. We are essentially putting the profits of corporations above the health and future of our planet. This is insanity. The only way we are going to stop the spraying is by pressuring those in the newly formed council to wake up and take action; to remind them their jobs are to serve the community's healthy and well-being, not amass wealth for an elite class. Look around your towns and countryside, and when you see Roundup sprayed speak up. Tell people that there are much healthier and cheaper alternatives. See recipes here: https://garden.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Recipe_for_Vinegar_Weed_Killer

Because it is disrespectful, depressing and completely wrong. It is not the answer and the only people who would ever have to live like this are those who can't currently afford the ridiculous rent levels. Stop pushing people out of Dublin & think about the kind of cities and communities we want - not what developers want.

Under the Loco Parentis rule, parents of disabled children are restricted from leaving their own home while a respite nurse is in the home to provide in-home respite. An adult must remain in the home. This is not respite. Parents who are caring 24/7 for their medically fragile children must be able to recharge, run errands, go to medical appointments, spend time away with their other children, and much more. The siblings of the disabled children must also be able to have the most normal social life outside of the home as possible. For this to happen, parents must be able to leave the home with these siblings during in-home nursing respite hours. This rule is particularly discriminatory against lone parent carers who don't have a partner to be the adult to remain in the home as the Loco Parentis. Of all carers, lone parent carers are typically under the most amount of stress - physically and emotionally - and as such, being able to leave the home, even just once a week for 5 hours, is desperately needed. Ultimately, the best care possible for the disabled child is what is at risk if the parent carer is unable to maintain their own physical and emotional well-being. The other children in the family, and family unit as a whole, are also at risk of harmful, irreparable dysfunction if essentially trapped in their home due to such an inhumane, unjust, policy as is Loco Parentis. This rule, implemented by the HSE, is clearly a violation of human rights and the rights of children.

There is no current policy in place which promotes the mental health of women after they've had an abortion. An abortion can be a very emotional experience and can be very difficult for women who may have mental health difficulties. I believe that women should be entitled to support when accessing abortion services.