House of Lords hears 権利-to-die 事例／患者

Lawyers for Diane Pretty began a race against time today at the House of Lords where her 嘆願 for the 権利 to commit 自殺 with the help of her husband was 存在 heard as a 事柄 of 緊急.

Philip Havers QC, 代表するing terminally ill Mrs Pretty, told five 法律 Lords that his （弁護士の）依頼人 had tried to …に出席する the 審理，公聴会 but had had to turn 支援する and return to her home in Luton, Beds, because she felt so unwell.

Five 法律 Lords, 長，率いるd by Lord Bingham, were 審理，公聴会 her 控訴，上告 against a High 法廷，裁判所 判決，裁定 on October 18 that the 法律 did not 許す a family member to help a loved one to die.

The 42-year-old mother of two, who 苦しむs from モーター neurone 病気 and is now paralysed from the neck 負かす／撃墜する, is challenging the 拒絶 of the Director of Public 起訴s, David Calvert-Smith, to 支配する out taking 犯罪の 訴訟／進行s against her husband of 25 years, Brian, if he helps her to take her life.

Mr Havers, 開始 her 事例／患者, said: "Mrs Pretty hoped to be 現在の today but had to turn 支援する after leaving home 借りがあるing to ill health."

He said her 病気 was 進歩／革新的な and did not 答える／応じる to any 治療 - she 直面するd death from respiratory 失敗 and 肺炎 when her breathing muscles became 影響する／感情d by the 進歩／革新的な 病気.

Her 条件 was 診断するd in 1999 and had 悪化するd 速く so that she now has no decipherable speech and has to be fed 経由で a tube to her stomach.

Her life 見込み could only be 手段d in months, he said, but her 知能 and ability to make 決定／判定勝ち（する）s were unimpaired.

"The final 行う／開催する／段階s of the 病気 are 苦しめるing and undignified and she is profoundly 脅すd by the thought of the 苦しめるing and undignified death she will 必然的に have to 耐える," Mr Havers told the 法律 Lords.

"She very 堅固に wishes to 支配（する）／統制する how and when she dies.

"But for her disorder she would be able to do so by 合法の committing 自殺. The terrible irony of the 事例／患者 is that the disord er which 原因（となる）s her so much 苦しむing also 妨げるs her from doing so."

He said she wishes her husband to 補助装置 in the 自殺 and he has agreed to so do if the DPP gives an 請け負うing not to 起訴する.

Under English 法律, it is a 罪，犯罪 罰せられるべき by up to 14 years in 刑務所，拘置所 to help someone do something which is not itself against the 法律, he said.

After 審理，公聴会 that palliative care for 苦しんでいる人s of the 病気 was not 全世界の／万国共通の, Lord Bingham said: "Find out about palliative care because the 記録，記録的な／記録する of this 事例／患者 is likely to be 熟考する／考慮するd by many people with 広大な／多数の／重要な 苦悩."

Mr Havers said it was not 存在 示唆するd that the husband would procure the 自殺 only that he would 補助装置 - the last 行為／法令／行動するs 主要な to death would be carried out by Mrs Pretty.

He said he would be arguing during the two-day 審理，公聴会 that the European 条約 on Human 権利s する権利を与えるd Mrs Pretty to ask her husband to help her commit 自殺.

If the DPP did not have the 力／強力にする to give an 請け負うing not to 起訴する, then the 関連した 条項 of the 自殺 行為／法令／行動する is 相いれない with the 条約, he said.

Counsel for the DPP has said that he had the "most 深遠な sympathy for Mrs Pretty and her family", but there was no 力／強力にする for him to 認める 免疫 before the （売買）手数料，委託（する）／委員会／権限 of a 犯罪の 行為／法令／行動する.

In 認めるing 許可 to bring the 控訴，上告, two weeks ago, the 法律 lords said they were aware of the public 利益／興味 in the 事例／患者 and the fact that it raised 問題／発行するs that 法廷，裁判所s in this country had not 以前 dealt with.