Omid T Case Study
Friends at the End supported ‘Omid T’ in his bid to challenge the law on Assisted Dying.
The law firm Bindmans represented ‘Omid T’, who was diagnosed with the incurable illness, Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), in 2014.
By 2017 he was largely confined to bed, had to wear a catheter bag and needed help with all personal care. He had difficulty speaking, and had lost much control in his arms and hands – making him unable to attempt suicide unaided. (A previous attempt had failed.)
Omid was not terminally ill, in the sense of having a life expectancy of 6 months or less.
In July 2017, while the case was waiting to be heard, an event was held to look at the legal and ethical issues raised by this case. To listen to the full seminar, click here. You can also watch a short trailer of the event here.
A copy of an interview Omid gave on Victoria Derbyshire’s current affairs programme explaining the issues around this case can be found here @ 01:37:58.
Supporters raised money for Omid’s case through a CrowdJustice campaign.
Update 2018
By 4th October 2018 Omid’s suffering had become unbearable and he decided to have an assisted death at Life Circle in Switzerland. He died peacefully and was accompanied by his mother who wanted to share the last moments with Omid. When he died, his legal case was unresolved: any judgment would have come too late for Omid.
Gordon Ross Case Study
2014 Assisted Suicide Bill
In early 2014Margo MacDonald MSP was in the process of steering her Assisted Suicide Bill through the Scottish Parliament. It was clear that a challenge to the existing law was vital. There was a need for a human face to join the campaign, to be the face of the need for change. Friends at the End member Gordon Ross said he was willing and able to do just that.
As a result of an incurable, progressive disorder, Gordon was presented with an opportunity to do more than most to advance the cause of Assisted Dying. It is to his eternal credit that, despite his deteriorating physical condition (by then he was unable to walk) he volunteered to do whatever he could to help.
There followed a remarkable series of interviews on BBC TV, STV and in the national newspapers. Helen Puttick, (Health Correspondent of the Herald) produced several influential articles, including the front page lead story on February 10, 2014. There is no doubt that the publicity generated by Gordon’s unassuming, calm and rational response to his dire personal circumstances was of great significance to the campaign. Arguably, it greatly outweighed the accompanying masses of dry statistics and opinion polls.
Conclusion
Ultimately, Gordon’s legal challenge failed. In February 2016, the Inner House of the Court of Session refused his appeal (Ross v Lord Advocate [2016] CSIH 12), holding that the Lord Advocate did not have to publish a policy on when assisting a suicide would be prosecuted. In its judgment, the court also commented on how Scots criminal law applies to assisting a suicide, but that is no guarantee that a person who helps will not be prosecuted.
Sadly, as a result of rapidly deteriorating health, Gordon was unable to attend court. He died in January 2016, and did not live to hear that result, nor the reasons lying behind it. However, we owe him an enormous debt of gratitude for the astonishing effort he made to support Assisted Dying and for the inspiration he gave to others to continue the fight to bring about a change in the law.