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A private Members Bill proposed by Cork Green Party TD Dan Boyle along with his party colleague Deidre DeBurca and Senator David Norris looks set to see a ban on the practice of psycho-surgery in Ireland, better know as the lobotomy procedure.
The Bill, proposed by Senator Boyle also seeks to ban the use of Electro Convulsive Therapy (ECT) also known as electric shock therapy, without the consent of the patient. Speaking to the Cork Independent last night (Wednesday) Senator Boyle said that support for the Bill had been very positive from all quarters.
Senator Boyle said, "The arguments against lobotomy is pretty well known but many people may be surprised to know that ECT procedures where carried out on 840 patients last year. The law currently allows this to be done to people against their will and that's what we are aiming to prevent".
Support for the Bill has come from across the political divide. Speaking in the Seanad last night, Fine Gael senator Jerry Buttimer gave his support saying that it was essential that the patient be put at the centre of mental health services.
Senator Buttimer said, "If we are to have a truly person centred mental health service, then we need to put the person with the mental health need at the heart of the decision making process.
"We can do this by acknowledging their central place and also by identifying and implementing strategies that are both longitudinal and current in focus and which place a string emphasis on supporting and enabling people to make their own decisions".
He added that increased funding for services was also vital. Well-known Cork campaigner for people with mental disabilities, John McCarthy added his support for the Bill. Mr McCarthy told the Cork Independent, "This is an historic moment. It's the first time that this has happened in any jurisdiction. It's time that the system had a look at itself and realises why it so often fails. We need to remove the use of force from the treatment of people with mental illness".
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