It is only a matter of time before the Irish courts are asked to adjudicate on a person's request to take their own life, according to Fine Gael TD Dan Neville.
Speaking in the wake of a report in this morning's Irish Times, that a disabled Irish man travelled to Switzerland late last year for an assisted suicide, Mr Neville said allowing euthanasia and assisted suicide resulted in a "slippery slope" syndrome.
"If euthanasia becomes acceptable under any circumstances, the boundaries of what is considered lawful killing would be stretched even wider," said Mr Neville who is also President of the Irish Association of Suicidology.
"This has happened elsewhere. There has been a blurring between voluntary and involuntary euthanasia. In the Netherlands there are cases of ending life of patients with a mental handicap and with dementia."
The man who travelled to Switzerland with assistance from his family was severely disabled since an accident some years ago. He was in his 30s and a long-term resident at a Dublin hospital.
He was able to breathe unaided, but he was unable to swallow and had a tube inserted into his stomach so that he could be fed. The man was fully dependent on nursing staff for dressing and toileting.
He underwent an assisted suicide in a rented apartment in Zurich with the help of volunteers from Swiss right-to-die organisation, Dignitas.
Suicide was legalised in Ireland under the Criminal Law (Suicide) Act 1993 but the same Act expressly criminalises aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring the suicide of another.
"For all of us, this case is a chilling reminder of the need to reaffirm the dignity and worth of each and every human life," said Dr Ruth Cullen of the Pro-Life Campaign.
"A full investigation by the appropriate authorities is urgently required to establish all the facts behind the case."