Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Court ruling ‘to bring assisted dying closer’
Family and docs can agree end of life
FAMILIES will no longer have to go to court to withdraw treatment from patients in a permanent vegetative state, the UK’S highest court ruled.
Yesterday’s judgment could pave the way for a rethink on assisted dying laws.
It centred on a 52-year-old man who had an extensive brain injury after suffering cardiac arrest as a result of coronary artery disease.
The unnamed man, a financial analyst who can be identified only as Mr Y, was in prolonged disorder of consciousness.
Judges at the Supreme Court decided he should be allowed to die without his family going before a judge. PDOC covers patients staying in a coma, in a vegetative state and in a minimally conscious state after a brain injury.
Experts agreed it was highly improbable that Mr Y would re-emerge into consciousness. Even if he did, he would have profound cognitive and physical disability, they said.
His family were firmly of the view he would not want to be kept alive, given the poor prognosis. They and the medical team agreed it would be in his best interests for clinically assisted nutrition and hydration to be withdrawn. Although Mr Y actually died in December, it was decided the Supreme Court appeal should proceed.
Campaigners believe the landmark decision could lead to a rethink on assisted dying laws and even a change to the law to allow terminally ill people with less than six months to live to be allowed to end their own life. This is currently illegal in the UK.
In June, a poll conducted by the Daily Mirror showed 75% of Britons would support a law to allow assisted dying. Natalie Koussa, of Compassion in Dying, said it means the decision can be made by medics and loved ones, “and acted upon quickly, rather than spending months or even years waiting for a court decision”.