Purdy Case
Debbie Purdy, who hopes to secure a ruling
from the law lords today so that her husband would not face prosecution if he
helped her travel abroad to die, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1995.
One of five children, Purdy grew up in Berkshire and London then went to university in Birmingham to study humanities. She did not finish her degree and worked in sales before moving to Scotland and then Norway. Later, she worked in Japan as a dancer, then as a music journalist in Singapore. She met her future husband while interviewing a group. Purdy moved back to the UK to assist her ill mother. She has used a wheelchair since 2001.
She said recently she still enjoyed life in her specially adapted home, but was having increasing problems. Her arms were no longer strong enough to use a manual wheelchair, she said, and she took painkillers every day. Her feet were swollen due to bad circulation and she was unable to turn over in bed unaided. A member of the Swiss suicide service, Dignitas, she wanted her husband, Omar Puente, a Cuban jazz violinist, to be able to accompany her to Switzerland, where assisted suicide is legal, without fear that he could be arrested on his return.
The law states it is an offence to "aid, abet, counsel or procure" suicide. Purdy said she feared her husband could be punished for helping her travel or even talking to her about any future plans to go to a Dignitas clinic.
On the first day of her House of Lords appeal, the director of public prosecutions conceded one of the arguments in the case, namely that end-of-life decisions are covered by the "right to life" provisions under Article 8 of the European convention on human rights. Now the case will centre on whether the state can interfere with Purdy's right to take decisions about the quality of her life and death.
Debbie Purdy won a significant legal victory in the House of Lords which lawyers are describing as a turning point for the law on assisted suicide.The decision – the last ever by the law lords before they recommence work as justices of the new supreme court in October – went further than expected in Purdy's favour, lawyers say.Purdy's two previous attempts to request a policy from prosecutors failed after the courts said the current situation was lawful.Campaigners welcome the victory for Purdy as a recognition of rights for those who wish to die in a manner of their choosing, and say that what is ultimately needed is a change in the law.
The highest court in England agreed that the law on assisted suicide was unclear. That ruling forces the Crown Prosecution Service to state exactly when it would take action against those who help their loved ones end their lives abroad. Mrs. Purdy’s victory also increased pressure on Parliament to draw up a law on assisted suicide.
One of five children, Purdy grew up in Berkshire and London then went to university in Birmingham to study humanities. She did not finish her degree and worked in sales before moving to Scotland and then Norway. Later, she worked in Japan as a dancer, then as a music journalist in Singapore. She met her future husband while interviewing a group. Purdy moved back to the UK to assist her ill mother. She has used a wheelchair since 2001.
She said recently she still enjoyed life in her specially adapted home, but was having increasing problems. Her arms were no longer strong enough to use a manual wheelchair, she said, and she took painkillers every day. Her feet were swollen due to bad circulation and she was unable to turn over in bed unaided. A member of the Swiss suicide service, Dignitas, she wanted her husband, Omar Puente, a Cuban jazz violinist, to be able to accompany her to Switzerland, where assisted suicide is legal, without fear that he could be arrested on his return.
The law states it is an offence to "aid, abet, counsel or procure" suicide. Purdy said she feared her husband could be punished for helping her travel or even talking to her about any future plans to go to a Dignitas clinic.
On the first day of her House of Lords appeal, the director of public prosecutions conceded one of the arguments in the case, namely that end-of-life decisions are covered by the "right to life" provisions under Article 8 of the European convention on human rights. Now the case will centre on whether the state can interfere with Purdy's right to take decisions about the quality of her life and death.
Debbie Purdy won a significant legal victory in the House of Lords which lawyers are describing as a turning point for the law on assisted suicide.The decision – the last ever by the law lords before they recommence work as justices of the new supreme court in October – went further than expected in Purdy's favour, lawyers say.Purdy's two previous attempts to request a policy from prosecutors failed after the courts said the current situation was lawful.Campaigners welcome the victory for Purdy as a recognition of rights for those who wish to die in a manner of their choosing, and say that what is ultimately needed is a change in the law.
The highest court in England agreed that the law on assisted suicide was unclear. That ruling forces the Crown Prosecution Service to state exactly when it would take action against those who help their loved ones end their lives abroad. Mrs. Purdy’s victory also increased pressure on Parliament to draw up a law on assisted suicide.