In the UK, assisting a person to commit suicide is a criminal offence punishable with up to 14 years of imprisonment. Debbie Purdy is a multiple sclerosis patient who, if her condition becomes unbearable, plans to travel to a country where assisted suicide is legal.

She is a member of the Swiss organization Dignitas, which operates several euthanasia clinics in Switzerland and has helped over one hundred UK citizens to end their lives.  In order to travel there, Mrs. Purdy will need the help of her husband, Omar Puente, who could be prosecuted under UK law for his assistance.

Mrs. Purdy was diagnosed with primary progressive MS in 1995 and has been a wheelchair user since 2001. She has spoken of her desire for legal certainty and “peace of mind”. Her claim is supported by Dignity in Dying – formerly the Voluntary Euthanasia Society. 

The High Court at first instance rejected her attempt to obtain clarity concerning the law on assisted suicide. The case is now being heard on appeal, its main claim being to establish a requirement for the Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer QC, to issue specific policy guidelines.

It has been argued in court that the lack of proper guidance infringed Purdy’s right to private and family life under the European Convention on Human Rights.  Lord Justice Baker and Mr. Justice Aikens sitting in the High Court have ruled that the code of practice for crown prosecutors already issued by the Department of Public Prosecution coupled with the general safeguards of administrative law, satisfy the requirements in the European Convention of Human Rights and meet the need for clarity foresight.