Debbie Purdy, who has multiple sclerosis, obtained permission on 11th June for a full High Court challenge to the Director of Public Prosecutions’ (DPP’s) ‘no policy’ stance on assisted suicide.
Mrs. Purdy wants to choose when to die and plans to travel to Belgium or Switzerland where she will be able commit assisted suicide legally. However, she wants her husband to travel with her, but if he does so, he risks being convicted of aiding and abetting suicide. She wants to guarantee this will not happen and has asked the court to review the DPP’s lack of a prosecution policy on assisted suicide.
She has been granted permission to argue this in the High Court.
This tactic of the Voluntary Euthanasia Society (now rebranded ‘Dignity in Dying’) seeks to exert pressure in the public square and on law-makers to review the law on euthanasia and runs contrary to the sound policy that the most vulnerable in society need to be protected from undue influence.
True dignity in dying is caring for people with compassion until their last breath.
Please link to the Care Not Killing website for a full analysis:
http://www.carenotkilling.org.uk/?show=443.
For the Times article on the story, click on the link below:
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article4116394.ece.