Right-To-Die Case: Euthanasia Shot Down By UK Court Of Appeals, Denying Two Men The Right To “Private And Family Life"

In a move showing deference to the Parliamentary system, a British appeals court upheld the law against euthanasia Wednesday, denying access to one man's attempt at assisted suicide, and symbolically denying euthenasia to another, who died last year while the case was still ongoing.
A car accident 23 years ago left Paul Lamb, 57, all but paralyzed, save for slight movement in his right arm. Together with the family of locked-in syndrome sufferer Tony Nicklinson, Lamb has spearheaded the pair's effort to reclaim their right to "private and family life," calling the current system "barbaric." Nicklinson died in 2012 after contracting pneumonia — following a period of time where he had refused food after the High Court originally rejected his right-to-die case.
While the Court of Appeal upheld the law against euthanasia, it sided with Lamb in that the two men had "permanent and catastrophic physical disabilities." However, standard procedure in Britain dictates the courts cannot make rulings on euthanasia, something the judges said "raises profoundly sensitive questions about the nature of our society."
"I am absolutely gutted," said Lamb, who is bedridden and must use his cheek to push a red button for communication. "I was hoping for a humane and dignified end. This judgment does not give me that."
Legality of Euthanasia in the U.S. and Abroad
Euthanasia — the process of ending a life to relieve suffering — has remained a controversial topic for decades around the world. Only a handful of countries allow the practice, although many more are becoming more comfortable with a patient allowing doctors to end their lives. Most recently, France's president Francois Hollande expressed his aim to decriminalize the practice.
In the United States a distinction is made between euthanasia and physician aid in dying (PAD), otherwise known as assisted suicide. Euthanasia happens when the physician or doctor administers the suicidal treatment, whereas PAD entails the patient doing it on his or her own.
Euthanasia is illegal in all 50 states, but PAD is legal in Oregon, Washington, Vermont, and Montana.
Paul Lamb's Future
Lamb's case would have to appear before Parliament to further appeal the decision. However, the Crown Prosecution Service does not prosecute close family and friends if they help loved ones travel abroad to commit suicide, the Associate Press reports. In other words, he could go to another country to seek his euthenasia.
Lamb receives daily injections of morphine to combat the pain caused by his spinal injuries. He began his efforts in the right-to-die campaign following Nicklinson's death. After refusing food in protest of the High Court's rejection of his voluntary euthanasia claim, Nicklinson died of pneumonia-related complications.
Lamb conceded his efforts are merely a drop in the bucket for the right-to-die campaign.
"I am doing this for myself as and when I need it," he said. "I'm doing it for thousands of other people living what can only be described as a hell. Many of them have been in touch with me begging me to continue this fight. The more it goes on the stronger I am getting."
Andrew Copson, chief executive of the British Humanist Association, which helped bring the cases, agreed Lamb has the British public on his side — 80 percent of Brits, he said.
"This is the biggest bio-ethical issue of our time," said Copson. "It already affects so many people but in the coming years it is going to touch the lives of an ever increasing number, as improvements in medical science allow us to keep people alive way beyond the point at which they might wish to live. It is unrealistic to think we can ignore it."