Leicester academic discusses assisted suicide legislation
Dr Clark Hobson, from the University's School of Law, has written an article for BioEdge which examines the possibility of the blanket ban on assisted suicide in the UK being overturned.
In the article for BioEdge, Dr Hobson said: "Noel Conway is 67 years old. He suffers from motor neurone disease, and is estimated to have 12 months to live. Mr Conway has instructed lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to seek judicial review against the Ministry of Justice in the High Court, arguing that assisted suicide should be legally permissible, subject to satisfying a series of strict criteria.
"Mr Conway’s case is noteworthy for the vivid portrayal of the progress of his condition, and the accompanying fears of becoming ‘entombed in his own body’. The legal importance of Mr Conway’s case lies in the fact that it likely has the greatest chances of long-term success in overturning the law before the UK courts. A range of factors argue for Mr Conway’s position, and support for reform is mounting."