Woman loses first Irish right-to-die case
2013-01-10 13:56
Dublin - An Irish woman who is terminally ill with
multiple sclerosis lost her battle for the lawful right to die in the first
case of its kind to be brought in Ireland, Dublin's High Court said on
Thursday.
Marie Fleming, a 59-year-old former university lecturer
who is completely paralysed, made an impassioned plea last month to establish
her partner's legal right to help her die, an act that is illegal in mainly
Roman Catholic Ireland.
The mother of two adult children told the court in a
composed manner last month how her life had become totally undignified and too
painful to bear, and said she had planned every detail, including funeral
arrangements.
Judge Nicholas Kearns said Fleming was the most
remarkable witness any member of the court has ever been privileged to
encounter but that it would be impossible to tailor the legislation governing
assisted suicide on an individual basis.
"It would be impossible to ensure the aged,
disabled, poor, unwanted and rejected, would not avail of this option to avoid
a sense being a burden on their families and society," he said.
The "right to die" debate has played out
recently through high-profile court cases in Britain where three people all
failed to get legal assistance to die.
In Europe, assisted suicide is only permitted in Belgium,
Luxembourg, Netherlands and Switzerland. It is also legal in the US states of
Oregon and Washington.
