Assisted suicide: breakthrough day

THURSDAY July 30 proved to be be an historic day in the mounting public campaign for more legal clarity in the law on assisted suicide, currently punishable in Britain by up to 14 years' imprisonment.

In a landmark ruling, the law lords agreed to a request from the 46-year-old multiple schlerosis sufferer Debbie Purdy that the Director of Public Prosecutions should make it clear whether people who assist the terminally ill to end their lives will be prosecuted.

Purdy, who was diagnosed with MS 14 years ago and is now in a wheelchair, wants her husband, the Cuban jazz violinist Omar Puente (pictured above with Purdy), to be able to take her to Switzerland to end her life at the Dignitas clinic without fear of prosecution.

She argued that not knowing what might happen to him was a breach of her human rights - and the law lords agreed.

Right-to-die campaigners welcomed today's decision which they believe will eventually lead to a change in the law. "Parliament urgently needs to acknowledge the fact that people are travelling overseas to die ­ and this trend shows no sign of stopping," said Sarah Wootton, chief executive of Dignity in Dying. "It's time the 1961 Suicide Act was brought up to date to reflect what's really going on in UK courts".

Campaigners had been relatively confident the law lords would back Purdy today.
 
One reason was that her case was 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 this morning, before the ruling came through: "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 were anxiously awaiting the 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. ·