A British man, paralyzed from the neck down, broke down Thursday upon hearing he had lost his battle to end his life of “pure torture,” Agence France-Presse reported.
Tony Nicklinson suffers from locked-in syndrome, for which there is no cure. He openly wept as he watched the high court’s verdict read aloud on his computer.
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“You can see from Tony’s reaction he’s absolutely heartbroken,” said Nicklinson’s wife, Jane, who added they would continue their legal fight so that any doctor who does help her husband will not face murder charges.
Euthanasia and assisted suicide are illegal in Britain, as well as most of the United States. Lawmakers made an inquiry in Janurary, asking for the law to be changed, and some doctors assisted terminally-ill people end their lives.
Nicklinson’s attorney issued a statement in which the 58-year-old said, “I am devastated by the court’s decision. I thought that if the court saw me as I am, utterly miserable with my life, powerless to do anything about it because of my disability, then the judges would accept my reasoning that I do not want to carry on and should be able to have a dignified death.”
The Nicklinson’s said they will appeal the latest decision, and hope for another hearing by the end of the year.
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