{"id":1803,"date":"2015-04-29T16:55:01","date_gmt":"2015-04-29T08:25:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/exitinternational.net\/?p=1803"},"modified":"2015-04-29T16:55:01","modified_gmt":"2015-04-29T08:25:01","slug":"this-trial-should-never-have-taken-place-tom-curran-on-assisted-suicide-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.euthanasia.net\/exit\/this-trial-should-never-have-taken-place-tom-curran-on-assisted-suicide-case\/","title":{"rendered":"‘This trial should never have taken place’ – Tom Curran on assisted suicide case"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Mr Curran was one of a large number of people who were present throughout the eight day trial which ended in a not guilty verdict on the charge that MS O\u2019Rorke tried to help MS sufferer Bernadette Forde end her life by traveling to a euthanasia clinic in Switzerland.<\/p>\n

Mr Curran\u2019s partner Marie Fleming, who also suffered with MS, took a case to the Supreme Court in 2013, challenging the ban on assisted suicide. The Supreme Court found against her but said that the DPP may use \u201cdiscretion\u201d in prosecuting such cases. Ms Fleming passed away in December 2013.<\/p>\n

Speaking to reporters outside court today, Mr Curran said that Ms O\u2019Rorke should never have found herself in court: \u201cGuilty or not guilty, this trial should never have taken place considering what the Supreme Court judge said about using the same discretion that they use in the UK.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said he was shocked that the Director of Public Prosecutions brought charges against Ms O\u2019Rorke after the Supreme Court case, \u201cconsidering the fact that Marie had gone to the trouble of challenging the constitutionality of the law, to protect me, not to protect her.<\/p>\n

He continued: \u201cQuite recently 53 per cent of people said they would help a loved one to die. That\u2019s 53 percent of the people who would be prepared to break this law and that says there is something very definitely wrong with this law.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut apart from that, today is about celebration. Gail has been found not guilty irrespective of whether she should have been here or not so it\u2019s just time to go home and place the trial behind us and to make sure there are no other trials like this.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Mr Curran was the Irish representative of euthanasia organisation Exit International and visited Ms Forde before her death in June 2011.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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He said Ms Forde was a very strong woman. \u201cShe got what she wanted just like Marie got what she wanted. She had a peaceful death and we\u2019ll leave them both in peace.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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He said Ms O\u2019Rorke was \u201cvery relieved\u201d and \u201cvery emotional\u201d following the verdict.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Ms O\u2019Rorke didn\u2019t speak publicly afterwards but released a statement welcoming the \u201choped for verdict.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThe last four years and in particular the last three weeks have been very difficult for my family and me,\u201d the statement read. \u201cThe family of my dear late friend Bernadette Forde has had to endure the intrusions into her privacy which she always guarded so carefully.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Ms O\u2019Rorke thanked her family, friends and legal team for their support throughout the \u201ctruly gruelling ordeal\u201d. She also thanked the judge and jury as well as the garda\u00ed for \u201ctheir compassionate investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mr Curran was one of a large number of people who were present throughout the eight day trial which ended in a not guilty verdict on the charge that MS O\u2019Rorke tried to help MS sufferer Bernadette Forde end her life by traveling to a euthanasia clinic in Switzerland. Mr Curran\u2019s partner Marie Fleming, who […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n