Anorexia has made headline news in the UK this week as the case of a 32-year-old known as ‘E’ has set a new precedent in right to live / right to die cases. The 32 year old, chronic anorexic is at death’s door and has signed a living will asserting her right to refuse to be kept alive. Her family and friends support her and feel that she should be allowed to die with dignity – or with as much dignity as anorexia will ever allow.
However, Mr Justice Peter Jackson has ruled that E can be force fed to be kept alive, believing that she has a chance at a full recovery. He stated “We only live once – we are born once and we die once – and the difference between life and death is the biggest difference we know. E is a special person, whose life is of value. She does not see it that way now, but she may in future.” Read the rest of this entry »