Woman who fought force-feeding dies at 30

A US woman who was granted a request to refuse force-feeding has died three months after the ruling was delivered.

A US woman suffering from anorexia and bulimia has died three months after a judge granted her request to refuse force-feeding.

Her court-appointed lawyer, Edward D'Alessandro, tells the Daily Record of Parsippany in New Jersey the 30-year-old identified as Ashley G died on Monday at Morristown Medical Center's palliative care unit.

D'Alessandro says he's glad she is no longer suffering. But he says he feels "a profound sadness" that modern science and the efforts of a loving family couldn't overcome "this problem".

The state attorney general's office argued she was not mentally competent and sought to force-feed her.

Judge Paul Armstrong in November disagreed, finding her decision was supported by her parents and health professionals. He ordered her to receive care to relieve pain or discomfort.

Australian readers seeking support and information about depression can contact the Depression Helpline (from 8am to midnight) on 0800 111 757.


Share
1 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world