Euthanasia bid woman forced to withdraw case

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A terminally ill woman has been forced to abandon a ground-breaking bid to end her own life, it was announced today.

Kelly Taylor, 30, had begun a court case to force doctors to give her a massive morphine dose which would lead to her death, but asked for the case to be postponed while she investigated alternatives.

But medics rejected her bid for a delay, effectively bringing the court case to a halt.

A spokeswoman for the pro-euthanasia group which has supported Mrs Taylor, Dignity in Dying, said Mrs Taylor was “distressed” by the development.

“Kelly Taylor has been told that her request for an adjournment ... has been rejected out of hand by the defendants,” the spokeswoman said.

“She feels she has been forced to withdraw her case by the defendants and wishes to express how distressed she is by their actions.

“Kelly remains committed to patient choice at the end of life. She will continue to campaign for the rights of terminally ill people to determine when and how they die.”

Mrs Taylor is to experiment with non-drug treatments including physiotherapy.

Mrs Taylor, from Bristol, who is frail and endures constant pain, planned to win the legal right to demand potentially lethal doses of drugs.

A “living will” would then come into force, asking doctors not to provide artificial food or hydration.

Physicians refused to provide the treatment, saying it amounted to euthanasia.

An initial hearing at the High Court in London earlier this year heard Mrs Taylor would also be seeking damages under the Human Rights Act.

A full hearing was due next week.

Mrs Taylor attempted to starve herself to death as an act of voluntary euthanasia in July 2005.

After 19 days she was in so much pain she decided it was less dignified than her medical condition, and began eating again.

She suffers from the heart and lung condition Eisenmenger’s syndrome. She also has a spinal condition, Klippel-fiel syndrome.

Her doctors have been unable to find a combination of drugs to relieve her pain, as she is allergic to many of those normally used to treat Eisenmenger’s.

Independent News and Media

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