Battle over assisted dying goes to appeal
MOTOR NEURONE disease sufferer Noel Conway said the voices of the terminally ill “deserve to be heard” as he won the first stage of his Court of Appeal challenge to an earlier ruling on assisted dying.
The 68-year-old retired lecturer from Shrewsbury, who says he feels “entombed” by his illness, is fighting a legal battle for the right to a “peaceful and dignified” death. When he has less than six months left to live and still has mental capacity to make the decision, he wants to be able to enlist help from medical professionals to bring about his death – which the law currently prevents.
He previously asked the High Court for a declaration that the Suicide Act 1961 is incompatible with Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which relates to respect for private and family life, and Article 14, which protects from discrimination.
His case was rejected in October last year, but he was granted permission for a full appeal hearing yesterday.
Sir Ernest Ryder, sitting at the Court of Appeal with Lord Justice Underhill, said: “Having given the matter the consideration that we have, we believe it appropriate to give permission.”
In a statement issued after the decision, Mr Conway said: “I am pleased that my case will now proceed to the Court of Appeal. I brought this case not only for myself but on behalf of all terminally ill people who believe they should have the right to die on their own terms. Our voices deserve to be heard.”
Mr Conway said his current option is to “effectively suffocate” by choosing to remove his ventilator. He added: “I have accepted that my illness will rob me of my life, but how it ends should be up to me.”
The appeal continues.