UPDATE: The Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Bill 2013 will be before the Select Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality on Wednesday, May 27 at 10.30 a.m. in Committee Room 2... a great result, thank you for your support
On April 1st 2015 Inclusion Ireland, Acquired Brain Injury Ireland, Age Action, The Alzheimer Society of Ireland, The Center for Independent Living, Disability Federation of Ireland, Down Syndrome Ireland, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties and the National Federation of Voluntary Bodies are asking this Government to 'Fool Me Once' and replace the Lunacy Act.
March 30th marks the 8th Anniversary of Ireland signing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
The CRPD is an International Agreement directed at changing attitudes and approaches to persons with disabilities.
A big barrier to us ratifying the CRPD is our Lunacy Act from 1871. This Act refers to people as 'Idiot', 'Lunatic' and 'Unsound Mind' and there are almost 2,500 people affected on account of age, intellectual disability, mental illness or brain injury having been made Ward of Court.
Successive Irish Governments have introduced Bills to reform the law in this area. We were left disappointed by the demise of the 2008 Mental Capacity Bill following the defeat of the Government in the 2011 election.
This Fine Gael & Labour Government promised a change in law in their Programme for Government and we now face a race against time to enact the2013 Assisted Decision Making Bill before the next General Election in 2016.
On April Fool's Day 2015, we are calling on the Irish Government to 'Fool Me Once' and change the law that labels people lunatics and idiots.
More information on our campaign to replace the Lunacy Act is
contained at this link www.inclusionireland.ie/content/page/replace-lunac...
Updates
Reached 1,000 supporters
March 23, 2015
March 16, 2015
The Select Committee on Justice has confirmed the upcoming review of the legislation. I am currently finalizing a formal briefing document to present at this hearing to ensure the outdated terminology of the 1871 Act is fully addressed.
Reached 100 supporters
March 7, 2015
353 Comments
My grandson is not an "idiot", he is very clever. He is not a "Lunatic", he is probably saner than I am. And he has a very sound mind. So why should he be treated differently than me. Why should he be denied his rights?
How long must these vulnerable people exist under this archaic system. How long could it possibly take to make the required amendments? Why is other, newer legislation jumping the queue and getting priority? Are some citizens rights and equality more important than others?
I have a sister who suffers with Down's Syndrome. The idea that the law can refer to her as an Idiot or a Lunatic makes my blood boil! This is disgusting and needs to be changed ASAP. Please sign and Share!
My son is neither an idiot nor a lunatic. He was diagnosed with ASD. He sees, hears, smells, tastes and feels the world differently to the rest of us. Being 'different' does not make him a 'lunatic', it makes him unique in a closed minded world. As a family, we celebrate his uniqueness and want the government to do the same.
The Centre for Disability Law and Policy support the call to introduce the Assisted Decision-Making Bill in 2015. The Centre also calls for the government address key gaps in the current Bill in order to harmonise the law with contemporary disability rights standards.
This Act is archaic and well past its best before date
Please act now, to carry a negative label through life, each person has the right to life, to dignity, to equality.
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UPDATE: The Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Bill 2013 will be before the Select Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality on Wednesday, May 27 at 10.30 a.m. in Committee Room 2... a great result, thank you for your support
On April 1st 2015 Inclusion Ireland, Acquired Brain Injury Ireland, Age Action, The Alzheimer Society of Ireland, The Center for Independent Living, Disability Federation of Ireland, Down Syndrome Ireland, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties and the National Federation of Voluntary Bodies are asking this Government to 'Fool Me Once' and replace the Lunacy Act.
March 30th marks the 8th Anniversary of Ireland signing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
The CRPD is an International Agreement directed at changing attitudes and approaches to persons with disabilities.
A big barrier to us ratifying the CRPD is our Lunacy Act from 1871. This Act refers to people as 'Idiot', 'Lunatic' and 'Unsound Mind' and there are almost 2,500 people affected on account of age, intellectual disability, mental illness or brain injury having been made Ward of Court.
Successive Irish Governments have introduced Bills to reform the law in this area. We were left disappointed by the demise of the 2008 Mental Capacity Bill following the defeat of the Government in the 2011 election.
This Fine Gael & Labour Government promised a change in law in their Programme for Government and we now face a race against time to enact the2013 Assisted Decision Making Bill before the next General Election in 2016.
On April Fool's Day 2015, we are calling on the Irish Government to 'Fool Me Once' and change the law that labels people lunatics and idiots.
More information on our campaign to replace the Lunacy Act is
contained at this link www.inclusionireland.ie/content/page/replace-lunac...
Updates
Reached 1,000 supporters
March 23, 2015
March 16, 2015
The Select Committee on Justice has confirmed the upcoming review of the legislation. I am currently finalizing a formal briefing document to present at this hearing to ensure the outdated terminology of the 1871 Act is fully addressed.
Reached 100 supporters
March 7, 2015
353 Comments
Long overdue, in Minister for Justice's in-tray since December 2013! Gap in law between this 1871 outdated Lunacy Act (brought in year after Married Womens Property Actr, to curb it, and Irfeland's Succession 1964 Act, so people can be stripped ofd their rights to inherit using this hidden gap in Irish law.
My grandson is not an "idiot", he is very clever. He is not a "Lunatic", he is probably saner than I am. And he has a very sound mind. So why should he be treated differently than me. Why should he be denied his rights?
How long must these vulnerable people exist under this archaic system. How long could it possibly take to make the required amendments? Why is other, newer legislation jumping the queue and getting priority? Are some citizens rights and equality more important than others?
I have a sister who suffers with Down's Syndrome. The idea that the law can refer to her as an Idiot or a Lunatic makes my blood boil! This is disgusting and needs to be changed ASAP. Please sign and Share!
My son is neither an idiot nor a lunatic. He was diagnosed with ASD. He sees, hears, smells, tastes and feels the world differently to the rest of us. Being 'different' does not make him a 'lunatic', it makes him unique in a closed minded world. As a family, we celebrate his uniqueness and want the government to do the same.
The Centre for Disability Law and Policy support the call to introduce the Assisted Decision-Making Bill in 2015. The Centre also calls for the government address key gaps in the current Bill in order to harmonise the law with contemporary disability rights standards.
This Act is archaic and well past its best before date
Please act now, to carry a negative label through life, each person has the right to life, to dignity, to equality.
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Long overdue, in Minister for Justice's in-tray since December 2013! Gap in law between this 1871 outdated Lunacy Act (brought in year after Married Womens Property Actr, to curb it, and Irfeland's Succession 1964 Act, so people can be stripped ofd their rights to inherit using this hidden gap in Irish law.