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MS woman wins right to review assisted suicide

11/06/2008

A woman suffering from multiple sclerosis who wants her husband to help end her life has today won permission to bring a high court challenge to clarify the law on assisted suicide.

Debbie Purdy, 45, from Bradford, was granted permission to force the director of public prosecutions (DPP), Sir Ken Macdonald, to review the way people can be prosecuted for helping in suicides.

Ms Purdy wants her husband Omar Puente to come with her to the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland to end her life.

She claims, however, that she is worried Mr Puente will be prosecuted upon his return to the UK.

It is currently illegal in the UK to assist the suicide of another person, even if it happens abroad, and Mr Puente could face up to 14 years in prison if found guilty of assisting, aiding or abetting a suicide.

Lord Justice Latham and Mr Justice Nelson ruled today that "without wishing to give Ms Purdy any optimism that her arguments will ultimately succeed" her case did warrant a full hearing in the high court.

Speaking after the ruling, Ms Purdy said: "I am delighted that the courts have decided to officially review the law surrounding my case.

"If the DPP does clarify that my husband will not be prosecuted for accompanying me to Dignitas, I will be able to wait until I'm ready to go. I want to wait until the last possible moment – if I can no longer bear being alive – but I cannot do that while there is a chance my husband will be prosecuted.

"If the DPP does not give this assurance, then I would need to go to Dignitas a long time before I want to die, but at least I would know where I stand."