Funeral takes place of mum who died by assisted suicide

The funeral took place at the weekend of Cavan woman Maureen Slough, who died at the Pegasos clinic on July 10, after travelling alone to Switzerland to end her life by assisted suicide.

Ms Slough had told family and friends she was going on a holiday to Lithuania, and her daughter was only informed of her mother's passing via a WhatsApp message afterwards.

What occurred has brought renewed scrutiny to Switzerland’s controversial assisted suicide regime, and the growing phenomenon of so-called suicide tourism.

At Pegasos, any adult who has full mental capacity and claims to be free from coercion is eligible for assisted suicide. If eligible, the person themselves administers the lethal dose provided at the Swiss clinic.

Living at Millstream, Mullagh, Ms Slough's Funeral Mass took place on Saturday, August 16, at nearby St Kilian's Church. She had earlier been cremated, and the urn containing her remains posted home to Ireland under the tracking number CF128182270CH.

Those attending Ms Slough's funeral remembered her as a kind and giving mother, and an animal lover.

Ms Slough was not terminally ill when she died; although in recent years, the retired civil servant endured chronic pain, bereavements, and two suicide attempts.

Despite these personal challenges, those closest to Ms Slough maintain that they were totally unaware of her plans.

Pegasos counter this - pointing to a letter they claim to have on file from Ms Slough's daughter, Megan Royal, and verified by email. Megan says these were not sent by her and believes they may have been forged by her mother.

Ms Slough’s brother Philip meanwhile, a UK-based solicitor, is now also calling for a formal investigation, citing concerns that Pegasos failed to follow their own protocols regarding next-of-kin notification.

The total cost for a voluntary assisted death with the clinic is approximately 10,000 Swiss Francs (€10,490).

In a recently published report, Pegasos has now promised to insist on having video calls with next of kin for unaccompanied applicants planning to travelling to their clinic.