The High Court has ruled that a young woman suffering from severe Anorexia Nervosa may be fed through a tube, against her wishes.
In a decision handed down yesterday, High Court President Mr. Justice Nicholas Kearns ruled in favour of an application made by lawyers for the Health Service Executive.
Lawyers for the HSE told the court that the young woman’s condition was life-threatening, and that the application was a last resort.
The woman weighs approximately four stone in her current state. She was described as being intelligent and articulate, but without understanding of the serious nature of her condition. She had strongly expressed her desire not to be fed through a tube.
The judge was told that the girl’s parents supported the HSE’s application.
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