“The ruling in the recent case brought by the late Tony Nicklinson and another man, known only as ‘Martin’, who both had ‘locked-in’ syndrome, before the High Court ([2012] EWHC 2381 (Admin)), has raised many complicated questions about death in our society. The most difficult of these questions has been to what extent it is for an individual to decide that they wish their life to be ended. The particular complexity in this specific case was that, as both men had ‘locked-in’ syndrome, they were physically incapable of committing suicide, even with the assistance of another person (a situation which no longer carries automatic prosecution under guidelines issued recently by the DPP; Policy for Prosecutors in Respect of Cases of Encouraging or Assisting Suicide, February 2010,).”
Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 24th September 2012
Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk
