Constitution does not grant a right to die, court rules

Terminally ill Marie Fleming has lost her landmark court battle aimed at overturning the blanket ban on assisted suicide.

The right to life under the Constitution “does not import a right to die” in this “very tragic case”, the seven-judge Supreme Court ruled.

There is no constitutional right to commit suicide or to arrange for termination of one’s own life at a time of one’s choosing that the State and courts must protect and vindicate, Chief Justice Ms Justice Susan Denham, said.