Former President of the Supreme Court, Lady Hale, has publicly announced her support for the legalisation of assisted dying – and that law changes should include those incurably suffering, and not just the terminally ill. My Death, My Decision, welcomes her support.
Lady Hale will speak at an event on the 26 June to commemorate ten years since the Supreme Court decision which denied Tony Nicklinson the right for help to die. As one of the justices involved in the historic ruling, Lady Hale will reflect on the significance of the Nicklinson case and its enduring impact on the discourse surrounding assisted dying.
Lady Hale said:
“Nearly ten years ago, the Supreme Court decided the cases of Tony Nicklinson and Paul Lamb, incurably suffering but not terminally ill men who wanted and needed help to take their own lives in the time and manner of their choosing. Five of the nine Justices held that the Court could make a declaration that the current law banning assisted suicide was incompatible with the human rights of people like Tony Nicholson and Paul Lamb, but three of those five said that Parliament should be given the opportunity of putting things right first (the other four said that it was a matter for Parliament alone).
But Parliament has not put things right, despite all the evidence that the public would support a change in the law. And such proposals as have been debated are limited to terminally ill people with only a few months to live. They would not help people like Tony Nicklinson and Paul Lamb. Of course, there must be proper safeguards to make sure that their decisions are freely made. But it is cruel and inhumane to force them to go on living against their will. That is why I support My Death, My Decision.”
The Right Honourable Baroness Hale of Richmond, served as President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom from 2017 until her retirement in 2020.
Trevor Moore, Chair of My Death, My Decision said:
“We are delighted that Lady Hale has supported our grassroots campaign for a compassionate assisted dying law. We’ve been clear since the start, people like Tony Nicklinson, who are experiencing distressing pain and suffering with no chance of a cure, should have the right to help to die.
Tony Nicklinson would not have been helped by the recent assisted dying bills in the UK. These bills have been unnecessarily and arbitrarily restricted to people with six months left to live. The UK should strive to have the most compassionate law possible.”
Notes:
Members of the MDMD team, as well as individuals affected by the current law on assisted dying, are available for interview upon request
For further comment or information, media should contact Nathan Stilwell at nathan.stilwell@mydeath-mydecision.org.uk or phone 07456200033.
My Death, My Decision is a grassroots campaign group that wants the law in England and Wales to allow mentally competent adults who are terminally ill or intolerably suffering from an incurable condition the option of a legal, safe, and compassionate assisted death. With the support of over 3,000 members and supporters, we advocate for an evidence-based law that would balance individual choice alongside robust safeguards and finally give the people of England and Wales choice at the end of their lives.
