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The Right to DieDiane Pretty is terminally ill, suffering from Motor Neurone Disease. She is unable to move and is hardly able to talk. Mrs Pretty wants to be able to choose when to die. However, because of the nature of her disease which has rendered her unable to move, she would be unable to end her own life. She wants her husband to help her to end her life and is seeking a court decision to say that her husband would not be prosecuted if he does help her.On 31 August, Mrs Pretty won a High Court decision to allow her case to go to a full hearing. She claims that the Government is subjecting her to inhuman and degrading treatment, in breach of the Human Rights Act. |
After the decision, the director of the Voluntary Euthanasia Society said, "We are absolutely delighted the judge granted permission for Diane to continue with her fight." However, the deputy chairman of Alert, an anti-euthanasia group, protested, "The judge should
have made it clear that the Director of Public Prosecution was right. Can you imagine the implications of
a husband being told it's okay to kill his wife?"
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