The High Court has ruled that a woman in her 20s, known as “Katie”, who has been in a vegetative state for 10 years, should be allowed to die at the request of her mother.
Reportedly, the woman’s mother and the family, who sought the order to remove the life support, shed tears as the High Court’s President issued the order.
Ms. Justice Mary Irvine declared the judgement that doctors were allowed to take whatever steps needed to allow the young woman to die.
According to court documents, Katie had been in a vegetative state since 2011, when she received a brain injury following several heart attacks.
She was made a ward of court last year after the woman’s family told the HSE that they wished for the woman to be allowed to die rather than undergo a surgery that had been planned.
Justice Irvine said that the medical consensus was that Katie’s condition would not improve, and additionally, Doctors said they believed there would not be anything immoral about withdrawing the life-saving support.
The Judge further added that, in the context of all these facts, it was in the woman’s best interest that she be allowed to “pass away”.