A British woman totally paralysed by a degenerating nervous disease began a High Court battle yesterday to win the right to die.
Ms Diane Pretty, who suffers from motor neurone disease, is challenging the government on its ruling that her husband will not be exempt from criminal prosecution if he helps her to take her own life.
Ms Pretty (42), lodged her appeal yesterday at the High Court in London, with the backing of human rights organisation Liberty and The Voluntary Euthanasia Society. A date for an interim hearing has been set for August 31st, a spokesman for Liberty said.
The mother-of-two from Bedfordshire says her condition has impaired her quality of life so badly she wants to be able to choose to die. However, her health has deteriorated so quickly needs the help of her husband to end her life.
The Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr David Calvert-Smith, said last week he could not guarantee Ms Pretty's husband Brian would not face criminal prosecution if he helped her to bring about her death.
Now Ms Pretty is to argue that the government is subjecting her to inhuman and degrading treatment, breaching the Human Rights Act.
Ms Pretty was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 1999. The illness, for which there is no treatment, affects seven people in every 100,000 and sufferers normally die within three to five years.
Her husband of 25 years said it was "degrading" to let her live. He told BBC radio: "She has not turned round and said she wants me to help her to die. What she has turned round and said is the illness has got so much to her that she wants to die.
"Not being able to physically do it herself, she would like to be assisted to die." The couple's children, Clara (24) and Brian (22), support their mother's decision.
In June, Ms Pretty wrote to the Prime Minister, Mr Blair, begging him to change the law on voluntary euthanasia.
Although the DPP, Mr Calvert-Smith conceded Ms Pretty and her family were having to endure "terrible suffering", he refused to guarantee Mr Pretty would not be prosecuted if he helps her.
Liberty will challenge the way the DPP has applied the law on suicide to the case. and is in breach of the Human Rights Act, which guarantees respect for one's private and family life.