Assisted Suicide: are we just backward here in Ireland?

[Trollheart]

I have no real sympathy, generally, for people who commit suicide and that may seem harsh, and obviously it's too general a statement but I always feel it's the coward's way out. That said, I only felt suicidal once and it passed, but what stopped me doing anything was that my sis would be left behind to fend pretty much for herself.

That said, there is a situation going on here in Ireland where a lady who had MS and wanted to end her own life secured the help of her friend to buy the drugs she needed, and that lady is now on trial and could go to jail. The woman was stopped leaving the country, because assisted suicide is against Irish law (****ing Catholic Ireland) and so is leaving the country to procure same, so really , once she had made the choice she had little other option. I know how ten years of MS can leave you totally dependent on other people and so if they want you to help them die, and this person has made up her mind and looked at all the options and come to an informed and satisfied conclusion that this was what she wanted to do, why the **** is it illegal for someone to help her? Here's the story:
Accused says woman was present for lethal dose - RTÉ News

So my question is, are we the only country where rather than have a person live on in pain and misery, costing the health service and putting her family through hell too, we rigidly enforce a pointless law and actually contemplate sending someone to prison for the "crime" of helping their friend leave this world on her own terms and with dignity and peace? Or does this happen everywhere?

Does anyone have views on this, and would like to discuss it? I'm annoyed at the woman for choosing death (even though I don't know the full circumstances) as she had been suffering from the same thing as my sister for about the same length of time, and my sister has never contemplated killing herself or asking me to do so, but did she I am sure I would try to help her, and probably end up in jail. But if this was the decision this woman came to, then why in the name of all sanity can our State tell her she can't have assistance to end her life? Are we living that much in the past that we would send a woman to jail for performing what could be seen as the ultimate kindness for her friend?