Thousands on tenterhooks as the law lords
are expected to make an historic final judgment
By Jack Bremer, First Post
Thursday July 30 could be an historic day in the mounting public campaign for more clarity in the law on assisted suicide, currently punishable in Britain by up to 14 years' imprisonment.
Campaigners are hoping for a breakthrough when the law lords give a ruling today on a request from the 46-year-old multiple sclerosis sufferer Debbie Purdy, who wants to know where her husband, the Cuban violinist Omar Puente, will stand if he takes her to a Swiss clinic to end her life.
Purdy, who was diagnosed with MS 14 years ago and is now in a wheelchair, believes that the uncertainty as to whether Puente would be prosecuted is a breach of her human rights. She wants the law lords to force the Director of Public Prosecutions to declare his policy for bringing prosecutions in such cases.
Many campaigners believe such a judgment will inevitably lead to parliament introducing new legislation on assisted suicide - and they believe the law lords will support her.
One reason for their confidence is that Purdy's case has been given the final slot in the law lords' calendar before they are abolished. After the summer break, Britain's most senior judges will become Supreme Court justices instead. One lawyer told the Times: "The law lords will want to reserve a case for their last that will have wide public interest, but also where they will have an impact."
It is thought that thousands of British people are in Purdy's position and will be anxiously awaiting the law lords' judgment.
The lords' decision comes in the wake of a series of high-profile cases of assisted suicide, and the revelation that a Surrey GP is being questioned by police for helping patients end their lives at the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland.
Dr Michael Irwin says he expects to be arrested and wants to become a "martyr" to highlight the plight of relatives who have assisted in the deaths of loved ones.
WHERE PEOPLE STAND ON ASSISTED SUICIDE:
• The general public: A Populus poll published last week showed 74 per cent of respondents wanted doctors to be allowed to help terminally ill patients to end their lives. Debbie Purdy told the Times that the poll must "surely allay the fears of anyone who has doubts that we need to address this".
• Doctors: Despite popular backing, it is thought unlikely a change in the law on assisted suicide could happen without the support of doctors. Prof Clive Seale, Britain's leading expert on the attitudes of doctors on the issue, told the Times: "The majority of doctors and other health workers generally don't like the idea of hastening the deaths of patients, even if this seems humane." However, a motion at the last annual conference of the British Medical Association was defeated by only a slender margin, with 44 per cent of doctors supporting a change.
• Nurses: The Royal College of Nursing, previously opposed to assisted suicide, recently changed its stance to one of neutrality on the subject. Prof Seale said: "The RCN's decision... may not sound like much, but it represents a pretty big step towards acceptance... When health practitioners start changing their minds about assisted suicide, governments tend to take notice."
• The MS Society: Dan Berry, head of policy at the society, fears people are driven to contemplate assisted suicide because they do not realise that high-quality palliative care would greatly improve their quality of life. "It's a terrible shame if people are contemplating suicide when there is care out there that could make a big difference," he said. [rc]
First Post Newsgroup IPR Limited
July 30, 2009
UK: Assisted suicide - breakthrough day
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LONDON, England / The First Post / News / July 30, 2009
Thousands on tenterhooks as the law lords
are expected to make an historic final judgment
By Jack Bremer, First Post
Thursday July 30 could be an historic day in the mounting public campaign for more clarity in the law on assisted suicide, currently punishable in Britain by up to 14 years' imprisonment.
Campaigners are hoping for a breakthrough when the law lords give a ruling today on a request from the 46-year-old multiple sclerosis sufferer Debbie Purdy, who wants to know where her husband, the Cuban violinist Omar Puente, will stand if he takes her to a Swiss clinic to end her life.
Purdy, who was diagnosed with MS 14 years ago and is now in a wheelchair, believes that the uncertainty as to whether Puente would be prosecuted is a breach of her human rights. She wants the law lords to force the Director of Public Prosecutions to declare his policy for bringing prosecutions in such cases.
Many campaigners believe such a judgment will inevitably lead to parliament introducing new legislation on assisted suicide - and they believe the law lords will support her.
One reason for their confidence is that Purdy's case has been given the final slot in the law lords' calendar before they are abolished. After the summer break, Britain's most senior judges will become Supreme Court justices instead. One lawyer told the Times: "The law lords will want to reserve a case for their last that will have wide public interest, but also where they will have an impact."
It is thought that thousands of British people are in Purdy's position and will be anxiously awaiting the law lords' judgment.
The lords' decision comes in the wake of a series of high-profile cases of assisted suicide, and the revelation that a Surrey GP is being questioned by police for helping patients end their lives at the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland.
Dr Michael Irwin says he expects to be arrested and wants to become a "martyr" to highlight the plight of relatives who have assisted in the deaths of loved ones.
WHERE PEOPLE STAND ON ASSISTED SUICIDE:
• The general public: A Populus poll published last week showed 74 per cent of respondents wanted doctors to be allowed to help terminally ill patients to end their lives. Debbie Purdy told the Times that the poll must "surely allay the fears of anyone who has doubts that we need to address this".
• Doctors: Despite popular backing, it is thought unlikely a change in the law on assisted suicide could happen without the support of doctors. Prof Clive Seale, Britain's leading expert on the attitudes of doctors on the issue, told the Times: "The majority of doctors and other health workers generally don't like the idea of hastening the deaths of patients, even if this seems humane." However, a motion at the last annual conference of the British Medical Association was defeated by only a slender margin, with 44 per cent of doctors supporting a change.
• Nurses: The Royal College of Nursing, previously opposed to assisted suicide, recently changed its stance to one of neutrality on the subject. Prof Seale said: "The RCN's decision... may not sound like much, but it represents a pretty big step towards acceptance... When health practitioners start changing their minds about assisted suicide, governments tend to take notice."
• The MS Society: Dan Berry, head of policy at the society, fears people are driven to contemplate assisted suicide because they do not realise that high-quality palliative care would greatly improve their quality of life. "It's a terrible shame if people are contemplating suicide when there is care out there that could make a big difference," he said. [rc]
First Post Newsgroup IPR Limited
Thousands on tenterhooks as the law lords
are expected to make an historic final judgment
By Jack Bremer, First Post
Thursday July 30 could be an historic day in the mounting public campaign for more clarity in the law on assisted suicide, currently punishable in Britain by up to 14 years' imprisonment.
Campaigners are hoping for a breakthrough when the law lords give a ruling today on a request from the 46-year-old multiple sclerosis sufferer Debbie Purdy, who wants to know where her husband, the Cuban violinist Omar Puente, will stand if he takes her to a Swiss clinic to end her life.
Purdy, who was diagnosed with MS 14 years ago and is now in a wheelchair, believes that the uncertainty as to whether Puente would be prosecuted is a breach of her human rights. She wants the law lords to force the Director of Public Prosecutions to declare his policy for bringing prosecutions in such cases.
Many campaigners believe such a judgment will inevitably lead to parliament introducing new legislation on assisted suicide - and they believe the law lords will support her.
One reason for their confidence is that Purdy's case has been given the final slot in the law lords' calendar before they are abolished. After the summer break, Britain's most senior judges will become Supreme Court justices instead. One lawyer told the Times: "The law lords will want to reserve a case for their last that will have wide public interest, but also where they will have an impact."
It is thought that thousands of British people are in Purdy's position and will be anxiously awaiting the law lords' judgment.
The lords' decision comes in the wake of a series of high-profile cases of assisted suicide, and the revelation that a Surrey GP is being questioned by police for helping patients end their lives at the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland.
Dr Michael Irwin says he expects to be arrested and wants to become a "martyr" to highlight the plight of relatives who have assisted in the deaths of loved ones.
WHERE PEOPLE STAND ON ASSISTED SUICIDE:
• The general public: A Populus poll published last week showed 74 per cent of respondents wanted doctors to be allowed to help terminally ill patients to end their lives. Debbie Purdy told the Times that the poll must "surely allay the fears of anyone who has doubts that we need to address this".
• Doctors: Despite popular backing, it is thought unlikely a change in the law on assisted suicide could happen without the support of doctors. Prof Clive Seale, Britain's leading expert on the attitudes of doctors on the issue, told the Times: "The majority of doctors and other health workers generally don't like the idea of hastening the deaths of patients, even if this seems humane." However, a motion at the last annual conference of the British Medical Association was defeated by only a slender margin, with 44 per cent of doctors supporting a change.
• Nurses: The Royal College of Nursing, previously opposed to assisted suicide, recently changed its stance to one of neutrality on the subject. Prof Seale said: "The RCN's decision... may not sound like much, but it represents a pretty big step towards acceptance... When health practitioners start changing their minds about assisted suicide, governments tend to take notice."
• The MS Society: Dan Berry, head of policy at the society, fears people are driven to contemplate assisted suicide because they do not realise that high-quality palliative care would greatly improve their quality of life. "It's a terrible shame if people are contemplating suicide when there is care out there that could make a big difference," he said. [rc]
First Post Newsgroup IPR Limited
