An American right-to-die activist who narrowly escaped extradition to Ireland to face charges for assisting in a Dublin woman's suicide has decided against helping an Irishman take his own life.

Rev George Exoo (66) spent four months in prison in West Virginia in 2007 in relation to a garda extradition warrant.

A West Virginia court later ruled that Exoo could not be extradited to Ireland because assisting suicide is not a crime under federal or West Virginia law and is not an offence in 25 of the 50 states in the US.

Exoo travelled to Dublin seven years ago to assist Rosemary Toole-Gilhooley (49) take her own life in an apartment in Dublin. She died after taking pills and inhaling helium.

Exoo has insisted that Toole-Gilhooley had made detailed preparations for her death and that his role was simply to pray and hold her hand while she took her life. He claims that she was suffering from Cushing's syndrome and not depression alone.

An Irishman recently contacted Exoo through his church, the Compassionate Chaplaincy, asking for assistance in committing suicide. However, Exoo said he will not be assisting the man as he does not think suicide is the answer in this case and he has instead referred the man to a UK clinic to seek medical treatment.

"I won't be helping this man take his own life. I just don't believe it is the only option for him," he told the Sunday Tribune.

"I believe that assisted suicide is only the answer if someone has a medical condition that makes their life unbearable. In this case, with the right treatment, I believe this man could have quality of life. I have tried to connect this man with a clinic in Manchester that I believe can help him.

"People associate me with assisted suicide but in reality, it's only ever as a last resort and I've advised a huge number of people that their lives are worth living."

The Irishman who recently contacted Exoo heard about his work through the media and many others have also contacted Exoo as a result of the publicity surrounding Toole-Gilhooley'sdeath.

Exoo is currently in the process of choosing a location to set up a right-to-die hospice in either West Virginia or North Carolina, where assisted suicide is legal. "It won't be a 'suicide tourism' kind of place but somewhere people can die with support and dignity. Fundraising is beginning soon. I am hoping it will be up and running within a year," he added.