Dubai: A day after a British judge granted the severely disabled Tony Nicklinson a court hearing on his request that a doctor be allowed to give him a lethal injection, the ex-rugby player and former Sharjah resident is a delighted man.
"I am delighted that the issues surrounding assisted dying are to be aired in court. Politicians and others can hardly complain about the courts providing the forum for debate if the politicians continue to ignore one of the most important topics facing our society today. It is no longer acceptable for 21st century medicine to be governed by 20th century attitudes to death," said the 57-year-old Nicklinson on Tuesday in a statement sent to XPRESS.
Writing from their home in Wiltshire, England, his wife Jane said, "We are all delighted. Now we can get on with the real case. We have won a very small battle in a very large war."
Evidently the first right-to-die case to get a hearing in a UK court, Nicklinson's euthanasia plea has received considerable attention worldwide. The 57-year-old who suffers from locked-in syndrome - a condition where his entire body is paralysed except for his brain - had approached the High Court seeking help to end his life as it was "dull, miserable, demeaning, undignified and intolerable".
But under British law, anyone who helps him die by administering a lethal injection could be charged with murder, even if it is done with his consent.
In his statement, Nicklinson said, "Much has already been written about this case principally that if I win, the floodgates will open, putting those who don't wish to die at risk.
"A large part of the controversy surrounding assisted dying is due to giving assistance to people (the terminally ill) who can, if they so choose, already take their own life. I concede that the circumstances may not be ideal for committing suicide but at least they have the choice, unlike people who are physically unable to do such an act," he said.
"I believe that all the while, society is obsessed with giving the terminally ill help, those of us who need help won't get it and will be condemned to a miserable existence …," he added.
Jane also made it a point to thank friends from the UAE for their support. "We thank them for all the support they have given us. I've had many messages on Facebook and they mean so much to us. We still miss our lives in the UAE and have so many brilliant memories of our years there," she said.
