Gilmore to consider assisted suicide report

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore has said he will consider commissioning an expert report on assisted suicide, but warned there was no simple answer to a range of ethical and legal issues to be examined.

Mr Gilmore was responding to Independent TD Stephen Donnelly, who told the Dáil of multiple sclerosis sufferer Marie Fleming, who, along with her partner Tom Curran, lost a Supreme Court ruling on assisted suicide earlier this year.

The seven-judge Supreme Court ruled, while there was no Constitutional right to die or to be assisted to do so, there was nothing to prevent the introduction of legislation to deal with cases such as that of Ms Fleming.