Story highlights Botched surgery in 1995 left a Portuguese woman, then 50, unable to enjoy sex

In 2014 she was awarded 172,000 euros in damages, later reduced to 111,000 euros

Judges said she had been "at an age in which sexuality does not hold as much importance"

Priego De Cordoba, SPAIN (CNN) The European Court of Human Rights is being asked to decide a case that's raised questions about whether sex is important for women over the age of 50, re-igniting a Portuguese house cleaner's 20-year battle to win what she sees as an appropriate reward for botched surgery that left her unable to enjoy sex.

Lisbon-based attorney Vitor Manuel Parente Ribeiro said his client, who is identified as "A" in court papers, is challenging Portugal's highest court's decision to lower her legal compensation for a mismanaged gynecological operation performed in Lisbon's state-run Alfredo da Costa Maternity nearly 20 years ago, when she was 50-years-old. She turned 70 this year.

Ribeiro says he will take the fight for his client's reproductive rights and personal dignity to the highest levels available.

The irony is that two women presided over her case ... one was over 55. I don't know what their problem was. Attorney Vitor Manuel Parente Ribeiro

Ribeiro's client says she is undergoing treatment for severe depression, but she agreed to answer a few questions through him via email.

She told CNN that "she was really saddened by the Portuguese tribunal's decision and felt discriminated against for being a woman and a mother."

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