MODERN CAPACITY LEGISLATION & RATIFICATION

OF UN CONVENTION URGENTLY NEEDED

Press conference:  

Date:             Tuesday 30th March 2010 

Time:            1.30pm                                         

Venue:          The School of Nursing and Midwifery, D’Olier St., Dublin 2   

Who:             Inclusion Ireland, Amnesty International Ireland and the School

                      of Nursing and Midwifery at Trinity College Dublin

A system exists that takes away your right to decide if you want medical treatment, if you want to marry someone and doesn’t allow you to make decisions about your own money. This system exists in Ireland and for many people with an intellectual disability, older people with dementia and people with mental health problems, it can have massive implications for every part of a person’s life.

It relates to Ireland’s lack of modern capacity legislation – current law in this area is the Lunacy Act of 1871.  Modern capacity legislation is needed before Ireland can ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. On March 30th 2007, Ireland was among the first countries to sign the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Then Justice Minister Michael McDowell said it would be ratified “as soon as possible”.

Three years later we are still waiting.  

Inclusion Ireland, Amnesty International Ireland and the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Trinity College Dublin are calling on the Government to urgently introduce modern capacity legislation and ratify the UN Convention.  Inclusion Ireland launched a petition on 24th February calling on the Government to urgently introduce modern capacity legislation and over 1,000 people have already signed it.  

Representatives from Inclusion Ireland, Amnesty International Ireland and the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Trinity College Dublin will be present on 30th March to take questions and discuss the practical implications of this gap in legislation. 

To access the petition click here. 

ENDS