Published 21 October 2008, doi:10.1136/bmj.a2195
Cite this as: BMJ 2008;337:a2195

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Police investigate parents’ involvement in assisted suicide

¹ BMJ

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The parents of a 23 year old tetraplegic man who travelled to Switzerland from his home in England for an assisted suicide have been investigated by police and are waiting to hear whether they will be prosecuted in the United Kingdom.

The case of Daniel James, who was paralysed in a game of rugby in March 2007, has reignited last month’s debate over euthanasia and assisted suicide after Debbie Purdy, who has multiple sclerosis, took her case to the High Court (BMJ 2008;336:1394, doi:10.1136/bmj.a374).

Ms Purdy, 45, who wants her husband to accompany her to Switzerland when the time comes, is awaiting a ruling on her challenge to a refusal by the director of public prosecutions, Ken Macdonald, to say what help a friend or relative may give without risking a charge of aiding and abetting suicide.

Mr James is one of the youngest British people to . . . [Full text of this article]

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