Gail O’Rorke: “I really thought I was going to prison”
By Mary Dennehy
IN APRIL 2015, Gail O’Rorke was found not guilty of assisting her friend to take her own life, a journey and precedent court case which the Tallaght mother has written about in a new book.
Living in Kilclare, Jobstown, Gail was the first person in Ireland to be tried and acquitted of assisting in a suicide, with the 45-year-old telling The Echo how she believed a jail sentence was the likely outcome.
Gail was charged with assisting the suicide of her close friend Bernadette Forde, who, living in Donnybrook, had multiple sclerosis (MS), a condition aggravated by a car accident in 2008 which left Bernadette wheelchair-bound.
Bernadette died in 2011 after taking a lethal dose of drugs, after which Gail was charged on three counts of assisting in her friend’s suicide, which included allegedly ordering the drugs, “procuring” the suicide by helping to organise her funeral before her death, and making arrangements for travel to Swiss euthanasia clinic Dignitas.
Gail first got to know Bernadette when she started a cleaning contract in her home, with the pair becoming close friends over the years, a friendship which resulted in Gail becoming Bernadette’s carer as her MS progressed.
Speaking with The Echo this week, Gail said: “I really thought I was going to prison. There was no precedent and even my legal team couldn’t tell me what was going to happen.
“I thought they would just throw the book at me, make an example out of me, but that didn’t happen.
“I wasn’t there on the night that Bernadette died however, I did help her to live out her last few weeks and supported her in getting her business in order and tying up any loose ends.”
She added: “Bernadette was a chronic insomniac, and after the crash she couldn’t lie down, so was living in her wheelchair 24/7. Bernadette didn’t want to die.
“However, the consequence of this for her was facing a life of indignity and being washed by a stranger, so she did what she wanted to do.
“She wanted to die with dignity and go to a better place and she really believed in that better place.”
Gail has now released a book called Crime or Compassion? in which she tells her personal story and Bernadette’s.
“After the court case there was a lot of attention on the subject, the trial was like a ripple effect and the topic of assisted suicide was being discussed by lots of different people,” Gail said.
“I was frustrated over the fact that Bernadette’s story was not being reflected in any of the debate, so I decided to write a book.
“I am pro-choice and I am happy for Bernadette and that she gave herself that choice.
“I believe that the choice that Bernadette made is okay, it was right for her.
“However, I do believe that if that choice is not okay with other people, then that’s alright too.”
Gail added: “I am really happy for Bernadette as my friend that she had that choice, it made her feel more comfortable.”
Published by Hachette Ireland, Crime or Compassion? One Woman’s Story of a Loving Friendship that knew no Bounds, is currently available online or from all good bookshops.
