The Irish Human Rights Commission (IHRC) will, today, appear before the Supreme Court as Amicus Curiae (friend of the Court) in a case concerning assisted suicide.
The case, brought by Marie Fleming, was originally heard in the High Court in November 2012. The Plaintiff, who is in the final stages of multiple sclerosis and has a limited life expectancy, claims that the blanket ban on assisted suicide breaches her Constitutional rights and her rights under the European Convention on Human Rights. in January 2013, the High Court rejected her claim finding that it was not possible to relax the ban on assisted suicide without very profound consequences for the law in general, and that ultimately the Oireachtas was justified in keeping an absolute ban in place.
Before the Supreme Court, the IHRC will make submissions in relation to the constitutional right to equality as it applies to individuals in the circumstances of the Plaintiff, and also the right to autonomy and bodily integrity.
The case is expected to be heard over three days, and the IHRC’s submissions will be available on its website at the conclusion of the hearing.