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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| MS woman wins right-to-die fight | MS woman wins right-to-die fight |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| A woman with multiple sclerosis has made legal history by winning her battle to have the law on assisted suicide clarified. | A woman with multiple sclerosis has made legal history by winning her battle to have the law on assisted suicide clarified. |
| Debbie Purdy, 46, from Bradford, is considering going to Switzerland to end her life. | Debbie Purdy, 46, from Bradford, is considering going to Switzerland to end her life. |
| She went to the House of Lords because she feared her husband, Omar Puente, could be prosecuted for helping her. | |
| After the judgement Ms Purdy said she was "ecstatic" and felt like she had been given her life back. | After the judgement Ms Purdy said she was "ecstatic" and felt like she had been given her life back. |
| I feel like I've been given a reprieve Debbie Purdy | I feel like I've been given a reprieve Debbie Purdy |
| She said the decision was "a huge step towards a more compassionate law". | She said the decision was "a huge step towards a more compassionate law". |
| "I'm ecstatic - I feel like I've been given a reprieve. | "I'm ecstatic - I feel like I've been given a reprieve. |
| "I want to live my life to the full but I don't want to suffer unnecessarily at the end of my life. | "I want to live my life to the full but I don't want to suffer unnecessarily at the end of my life. |
| "The decision means that I can make an informed choice, with Omar, about whether he travels abroad with me to end my life because we will know exactly where we stand." | "The decision means that I can make an informed choice, with Omar, about whether he travels abroad with me to end my life because we will know exactly where we stand." |
| No one has been prosecuted for assisting someone's death, although the law says they could potentially face 14 years in prison. | No one has been prosecuted for assisting someone's death, although the law says they could potentially face 14 years in prison. |
| But the Law Lords said the law was not as clear and precise as it should be. | But the Law Lords said the law was not as clear and precise as it should be. |
| They said the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) must prepare an "offence-specific policy" identifying facts and circumstances which he would take into account when deciding whether or not to prosecute in cases like Debbie Purdy's. | |
| She said she would like to see the policy distinguish between "what is acceptable and what isn't" so people in situations like hers could make decisions about what to do. | |
| Human rights | Human rights |
| The DPP has previously said he does not want to have his hands tied, and needs to have the right to decide prosecutions on a case-by-case basis. | The DPP has previously said he does not want to have his hands tied, and needs to have the right to decide prosecutions on a case-by-case basis. |
| Ms Purdy also won on a second point - the Law Lords said she did have the right to choose how she died, under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. | Ms Purdy also won on a second point - the Law Lords said she did have the right to choose how she died, under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. |
| That must be better than the current legal muddle Sarah Wootton, Dignity in Dying | That must be better than the current legal muddle Sarah Wootton, Dignity in Dying |
| She had previously lost challenges in the High Court and Court of Appeal. The Lords ruling was her last chance of success in the UK legal system. | She had previously lost challenges in the High Court and Court of Appeal. The Lords ruling was her last chance of success in the UK legal system. |
| Ms Purdy was diagnosed with primary progressive MS in March 1995. She can no longer walk and is gradually losing strength in her upper body. | Ms Purdy was diagnosed with primary progressive MS in March 1995. She can no longer walk and is gradually losing strength in her upper body. |
| She has suggested that at some point she may travel to Switzerland to take a lethal dose of barbiturates prescribed by doctors at the controversial Dignitas organisation. | She has suggested that at some point she may travel to Switzerland to take a lethal dose of barbiturates prescribed by doctors at the controversial Dignitas organisation. |
| More than 100 UK citizens have so far ended their lives at Dignitas, and no-one who has accompanied them has ever been prosecuted on their return to the UK. | More than 100 UK citizens have so far ended their lives at Dignitas, and no-one who has accompanied them has ever been prosecuted on their return to the UK. |
| However, the reasons why legal action has not been taken have never been made clear. | However, the reasons why legal action has not been taken have never been made clear. |
| 'Significant victory' | 'Significant victory' |
| Ms Purdy had previously said that if the law was not clarified she would have had to end her life earlier than she wanted to. | Ms Purdy had previously said that if the law was not clarified she would have had to end her life earlier than she wanted to. |
| Sarah Wootton, chief executive of Dignity in Dying, said: "This historic judgement ensures the law keeps up with changes in society and crucially, provides a more rational deterrent to abuse than a blanket ban which is never enforced. | Sarah Wootton, chief executive of Dignity in Dying, said: "This historic judgement ensures the law keeps up with changes in society and crucially, provides a more rational deterrent to abuse than a blanket ban which is never enforced. |
| "That must be better than the current legal muddle. | "That must be better than the current legal muddle. |
| "The ruling is significant because it distinguishes between maliciously encouraging someone to commit suicide and compassionately supporting someone's decision to die." | "The ruling is significant because it distinguishes between maliciously encouraging someone to commit suicide and compassionately supporting someone's decision to die." |
| Former Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer, said it was a "very significant victory". | Former Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer, said it was a "very significant victory". |
| Simon Gillespie, chief executive of the MS Society, said: "There are 100,000 people with MS across the UK and most will live about as long as any of us. | |
| "The key to living well with MS is getting the right care and support from the point of diagnosis, including palliative care when it's needed." |