UK High Court rejects challenge to assisted suicide law.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director - Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Great news: The UK High Court decided to dismiss a request by Noel Conway to hear his challenge of the assisted suicide law.

The High Court decided that it is the role of parliament to make law and not the role of the Court. The UK Supreme Court made a similar ruling in the Nicklinson case, when it upheld the assisted suicide law in June 2014. In the Nicklinson decision the court asked parliament to debate assisted suicide.

One of the deciding factors in the decision was that the British parliament overwhelming rejected an assisted suicide bill by 330 to 118 in June 2015. Parliament debated assisted suicide and it decided to uphold the assisted suicide law.

Disability activists, in the UK, remain strongly opposed to assisted suicide.

Baroness Jane Campbell - Assisted suicide could lure me to the grave.
Kevin Fitzpatrick - Debating assisted suicide - Contempt for life with disability surrounds us.

The British Medical Association have debated assisted suicide on several occasions and have rejected the push to go neutral on assisted suicide.

The Care Not Killing Alliance stated that:

This was a troubling case that sought to usurp the democratic will of Parliament. 

"The current laws on assisted suicide and euthanasia are simple and clear. They exist to protect those who are sick, elderly, depressed, or disabled from feeling obliged to end their lives."

The UK Court is acting responsibly by limiting its role to interpreting law, but not making law. Conway is stating that he will appeal the decision.