PUBLIC POST
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/5941058/...
Debbie Purdy, 45, photographed at her home, Bradford, West Yorkshire.
Debbie Purdy 'ecstatic' as she wins House of Lords appeal over assisted suicide
Multiple sclerosis sufferer Debbie Purdy has won a landmark court battle that campaigners fear could lead to more people ending their lives in foreign "suicide clinics".
By Martin Beckford, Social Affairs Correspondent
Published: 4:59PM BST 30 Jul 2009
Terminally ill Miss Purdy fought to find out whether her husband, Omar Puente, would be prosecuted if he helped her die at an organisation such as Dignitas in Switzerland.
She demanded that the Director of Public Prosecutions state when he would bring cases for assisting suicide abroad, currently a crime punishable by up to 14 years' imprisonment. No one has been convicted of the crime even though an estimated 115 Britons have committed suicide at Dignitas.
Her initial case was rejected in the High Court, as was an appeal to the Court of Appeal.
But she took the case to the highest court in the land and five Law Lords ruled on Thursday afternoon that the DPP must set out the circumstances in which it would prosecute.
Miss Purdy, 46, said: "I'm ecstatic – I feel like I've been given a reprieve. I want to live my life to the full, but I don't want to suffer unnecessarily at the end of my life.
"This decision means that I can make an informed choice, with Omar, about whether he travels abroad with me to end my life because we will know exactly where we stand.
"I am grateful to the Law Lords for listening and rising to the challenge that this case presented. I also want to thank other campaigners like Diane Pretty, who is no longer with us, and all those whose efforts created this huge step towards a more compassionate law."
Speaking outside court she said: "It feels like everything else doesn't matter and now I can just be a normal person. It's terrific.
"It gives me my life back.
"We can live our lives. We don't have to plan my death."
Her legal team had argued that unless the law was clarified, she might be forced to end her life earlier than she planned because her husband would be unable to help her.
If the risk of prosecution was sufficiently low, she could wait until the very last minute before travelling with her husband's assistance.
If the risk was high, she would have to go earlier while she was still fit enough to travel without assistance.
Sarah Wootton, the chief cxecutive of Dignity in Dying, which supported Ms Purdy, said: "More and more people want choice about how they end their life. Yet, until now, the law has refused to say whether people would face prosecution for accompanying someone abroad to exercise this choice. The Director of Public Prosecutions will now have to provide this information. As a result parliamentarians will now come under increasing pressure to provide a proper solution to this problem, which doesn't involve exporting it abroad."
Crocs
wow....i'm glad for her that her wish was granted,i might be too conservative on this subject but i don't think i can go through with this assisted suicide,no matter the pain i go through,but to each it's own
1I am so glad that she won this appeal! Thanks for the update, Sam!
2yes, good - it is bt time to grant these wishes - if pain is worse - that is HELL on earth - Thank you Samantha
3Oh that's wonderful news. Good for her. I love that she fought this battle not only for her self but also for her husband.
4While I am no fan of pain, I can't help but see that this issue is another chink out of the wall of humanity. Someone reminded me of the old movie Soylent Green not long ago and although it is not a good movie, the themes make it impressive. This all seems to fit neatly into Obama-care but with the government handing you tickets to a gas chamber when they deem you obsolete. It is easy to see this as a dignity issue, but I suppose I have more conservative leanings. Perhaps I might not if I were facing the same situation.
5I understand where your mind is going with that Eleu. While I do support euthanasia, I am skeptical that there be a "Clinic" for it. Yes I am glad that if this is really what she wants, it's good to know her husband is safe from prosecution. But, you know it's a tricky subject I think and has a potential to go very wrong.
I remember when Dr. Korvorkian (name right???), was prosecuted and people were upset about that. I agree that if the people wanted to be put out of their misery, who has the right to say people had to suffer through terminal illness? But if their's money being made for it, that is what's so scary and wrong.
If you say so in a will and through a power of attorney, you can get your wishes accross too. Before you're on hospice, you can make things known. A lot of people don't have that in writting and hospitals and family members do prolong things because of that.
But no they don't usually give you any lethal injections unless you're much further along. You can't walk in or be in a verbal state to say, "I came here to die by tonight (or sooner/later)." YOu do have to be far along. Why'S that? Imagine if you were there because of a bad accident or disease, they can't give up the thought that something could happen while you are still well enough to communicate, or healthy enough to save, that might actually save you. That's the other thing not right about this. It's the thought of giving up too soon. NOt only for the patient but the medical society.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state,
the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
well crud! As hard as I tried to make that "error free", there still were friggen errors there. Well I hope it's at least an understood comment.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
7"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state,
the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
Post A Comment
To post comments, please log in or register.