Court grants woman right to die after 'losing her sparkle'

A 50-year-old woman who fears that the passing of her youth and beauty
means the end of everything that “sparkles” in life has been granted
permission to die by the court of protection.
In a highly unusual judgment published this week, King’s College
Hospital NHS Trust has been told that the unnamed woman has the
capacity to make up her own mind and is entitled to refuse the life-saving
kidney dialysis treatment she requires.
The decision includes a detailed account of the lifestyle of C, as the
woman is known, describing her as “impulsive”, “self-centred”, heavy
drinking and four times married.
But the judge, Mr Justice MacDonald, explained that the principle was
the same for any patient. “The right to refuse treatment extends to
declining treatment that would, if administered, save the life of the
patient,” he said in his court of protection decision.
“This position reflects the value that society places on personal
autonomy in matters of medical treatment and the very long established
right of the patient to choose to accept or refuse medical treatment from
his or her doctor.
“Where a patient refuses life-saving medical treatment the court is only
entitled to intervene in circumstances where the court is satisfied that the
patient does not have the mental capacity to decide whether or not to
accept or refuse such treatment.” Intervention, he said, was not required
in this case.
MacDonald continued: “C is a person to whom the epithet ‘conventional’
will never be applied … C has led a life characterised by impulsive and
self-centred decision-making without guilt or regret. [She] has had four
marriages and a number of affairs and has, it is said, spent the money of
her husbands and lovers recklessly before moving on when things got
difficult or the money ran out.
“She has, by their account, been an entirely reluctant and at times
completely indifferent mother to her three caring daughters. Her
consumption of alcohol has been excessive and, at times, out of control
… In particular, it is clear that during her life C has placed a significant
premium on youth and beauty and on living a life that, in C’s words,
‘sparkles’.”
Having been diagnosed with Bosom  cancer, she had taken an overdose
with alcohol. She did not die but caused herself such extensive kidney
damage that she required dialysis – which she now refused to undergo.

Posted: at 2-12-2015 06:09 PM (9 years ago) | Upcoming

Even the court can't give live... so who are they to give right to die.

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Posted: at 2-12-2015 06:57 PM (9 years ago) | Gistmaniac

Huh? Are you serious?

Posted: at 5-01-2016 11:22 PM (9 years ago) | Gistmaniac