Assisted suicide -- the legal position
There's a big case in the House of Lords today about assisted suicide.
The position is, that it is currently an offence to assist someone to commit suicide, eg, by travelling with them to Switzerland to Dignitas (an assisted suicide centre). However, the prosecuting authorities (Crown Prosecution Service -- CPS) never prosecute the offence. There have been a lot of high-profile cases recently of people committing suicide at Dignitas with the help of relatives, and none of them have been prosecuted. But it's still an offence.
So Deborah Purdy, who has multiple sclerosis, went to the courts to try and force an answer as to whether her husband will be prosecuted if he helps her go to Dignitas; she wants to commit suicide, but not if there's a risk he will be. (Ironically, if she felt he was at risk of being prosecuted, this wouldn't prevent her going -- it would force her to go earlier in her illness, before complete incapacitation, so she would be able to go alone.) All the way up to the Court of Appeal the courts have refused to give such an answer or force the CPS to publish guidelines as to when to prosecute in such cases. I am inclined to agree with Purdy and her husband that it is a very unsatisfactory situation to have an offence which is prosecuted only at the whim of the CPS -- legal certainty is an important principle.
What will the House of Lords do?
Here is a Q&A on the current state of the law.
ETA: Their Lordships have allowed the appeal. I can't wait to read the judgment.
The position is, that it is currently an offence to assist someone to commit suicide, eg, by travelling with them to Switzerland to Dignitas (an assisted suicide centre). However, the prosecuting authorities (Crown Prosecution Service -- CPS) never prosecute the offence. There have been a lot of high-profile cases recently of people committing suicide at Dignitas with the help of relatives, and none of them have been prosecuted. But it's still an offence.
So Deborah Purdy, who has multiple sclerosis, went to the courts to try and force an answer as to whether her husband will be prosecuted if he helps her go to Dignitas; she wants to commit suicide, but not if there's a risk he will be. (Ironically, if she felt he was at risk of being prosecuted, this wouldn't prevent her going -- it would force her to go earlier in her illness, before complete incapacitation, so she would be able to go alone.) All the way up to the Court of Appeal the courts have refused to give such an answer or force the CPS to publish guidelines as to when to prosecute in such cases. I am inclined to agree with Purdy and her husband that it is a very unsatisfactory situation to have an offence which is prosecuted only at the whim of the CPS -- legal certainty is an important principle.
What will the House of Lords do?
Here is a Q&A on the current state of the law.
ETA: Their Lordships have allowed the appeal. I can't wait to read the judgment.