LONDON, November 14, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Lawyers for Diane Pretty, the 42-year-old suffering from Motor Neurone disease, took her case to the House of Lords today. The hearing is set to last for two to three days, with a judgement expected next week.
The House of Lords agreed to hear the case, despite the fact that a panel of three High Court judges ruled unanimously against the request to allow her husband to assist in her suicide without facing criminal charges. The High Court judges, while saying they felt “desperately sorry” for the couple, ruled that no-one had the human right to “procure their own death”. They said that the Director of Public Prosecutions could not agree not to prosecute her husband for the assisted suicide since it would be a “licence to commit crime”.
See the BBC coverage: https://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/newsid_1653000/1653959.stm