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Paralysed man will ask judges to let a doctor end his life

BMJ 2013; 346 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.f2537 (Published 19 April 2013) Cite this as: BMJ 2013;346:f2537
  1. Clare Dyer
  1. 1BMJ

A man paralysed for 23 years after a traffic crash will try to persuade three judges next month that a doctor should be allowed to end his life.

Paul Lamb, who lives in Leeds, will take the issue to the Court of Appeal in mid-May in place of Tony Nicklinson, who died after refusing food and contracting pneumonia a week after losing his case in the High Court.

Like Nicklinson, Lamb is too paralysed for assisted suicide (killing himself with a doctor’s help) and is asking for a ruling that a doctor can legally end his life by voluntary euthanasia. Such an act would constitute …

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