A woman who has multiple sclerosis has launched a landmark legal bid to ensure her husband is not prosecuted for helping her travel abroad to end her life.
Debbie Purdy, 45, who has primary progressive multiple sclerosis, is asking the director of public prosecutions (DPP) to clarify the law in England and Wales. Anyone who helps facilitate suicide faces up to 14 years in prison, although prosecutors have been reluctant to press for the maximum penalty.
Purdy who wants to have the option of travelling to a specialist euthanasia clinic in Switzerland, is worried that her husband, Omar Puente, could be prosecuted if he helps her. She wants clarity on where the DPP would draw the line and decide to prosecute someone who had helped a loved one go abroad to die.
If her husband was liable for prosecution Purdy has said she would have to travel alone to the clinic run by the Swiss organisation Dignitas, and would have to consider going while she was still healthy enough. Purdy, from Bradford, can no longer walk and is gradually losing strength in her upper body.
Preparing to die shouldn’t include wasting time defending yourself and loved ones from the “morality” of some superstitious git.
Yeah, I’m so sick of government telling me what we can and can’t do to ourselves. It should be her decision to do this or not. Period. Government should but the hell out.
For anyone who would deny a person the right to die with dignity, I would wish a slow progression of a debilitating disease. A very slow progression. With pain.
My father is currently dieing of colon cancer. I don’t know what his wishes are for how long to prolong his life. Whatever they are though, I do support his RIGHT not to suffer. He has lived his life, sired and raised a pack of kids, bettered the community, and contributed to society. Whatever he chooses, I will back him.
I think people should fight to stay alive, but some diseases are a death sentence, and a pretty nasty one at that. As long as such decisions always remain in the hands of the patient, and no other person, I see no problem with euthanasia. It’s not suicide if death is already certain.
I agree with her. We should have more independence than we have it now.
#3 I’m not challenging your conclusion, but you need a better argument.
Death is always certain.
Talk about a Darwin award winner…
Conservatives need crippled folk so they can call them Social Security parasites and thus win voters.
I didn’t know that in the UK they would prosecute you if you committed suicide. What do they do with the body if it is found guilty?
Cow-Paddy,
Phuk you’re a moran. Read the effen article instead of just the headline. Cripes, it is even explained in the summation.
We can only hope that Medieval Philosophy and ancient religions cease to have complete sway over such issues so that people can act rationally in impossible situations like this. What could be more terrorizing than knowing you are incurably sick, getting worse,in pain, in fear and being able to do nothing about it because ‘god says you can’t suicide yourself’ – nonsense, any one of those nations that doesn’t allow you to make a rationale choice with your life and which punishes anyone who tries to help you has no problem asking it’s sons and daughters to ‘suicide themselves’ as warriors in far away lands for no good reason. Then it’s ‘self sacrifice’ and ‘giving your life for your country’ and you get a medal and a really nifty funeral. Rational thought – rational decisions. Yeah, you’re right, we’ve not evolved enough for that.
#9 “Read the effen article instead of just the headline.”
I did. I just wanted to see how high your BP could go. 😉
You know we have a right to get rid of a baby and we have a responsability to get rid of a killer but for some reason they do not want to give us the ultiment choice. seems like the highest form of nannie-state
#11, Cowshit-Paddy,
I did. I just wanted to see how high your BP could go.
You do realize just how high on the Troll Meter you go.