12 April 2017 This morning the Court of Appeal granted Noel Conway permission to pursue a case challenging laws against assisted dying, on the basis that the current prohibition is a breach of people’s human right to respect for private life. This right includes protecting autonomy and exercising choice.   BIHR frequently works on end of life care issues, supporting people to understand how the Human Rights Act is relevant to the decisions they face, both in terms of delivering care and treatment, and in supporting people, families and advocates when they need to challenge those decisions. Most recently we have been working with Sue Ryder, and have developed a guide for end of life care workers to understand how human rights law can assist with making these difficult decisions. You can find a copy of the guide here.   In terms of Mr Conway’s case, he is bringing a judicial review challenging the part of the Suicide Act 1961 which prohibits assisting …

This post was originally published on British Institute of Human Rights News .