UK denies request by man with locked-in syndrome to die, says change is up to Parliament

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FILE - In this family photo released in Jan. 2012 by Tony and Jane Nicklinson, former corporate manager, rugby player, skydiving sports enthusiast Tony Nicklinson sits at his home in Wiltshire, England, where following a stroke he suffers from locked-in syndrome. The High Court in London has rejected an attempt by Tony Nicklinson suffering from locked-in syndrome to overturn Britain’s euthanasia law by refusing to legally allow doctors to end his life. (AP Photo/Tony and Jane Nicklinson)

LONDON – The High Court has rejected an attempt by a man suffering from locked-in syndrome to overturn Britain’s euthanasia law by refusing to legally allow doctors to end his life.

Tony Nicklinson had a stroke in 2005 that left him unable to speak or move below his neck. In January, the 58-year-old asked the High Court to declare that any doctor who kills him with his consent will not be charged with murder.

On Thursday, the High Court ruled that challenges from Nicklinson and another man named only as Martin to allow others to help them die without being prosecuted were a matter for Parliament to decide.

The judges wrote that they were both “tragic cases,” but concluded it was not up to the courts to change the euthanasia law.

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