Disabled man seeks court order for Crown assisted dying guidance

A claim by a severely disabled man that he should be told whether someone providing assistance for him to die in Scotland would face prosecution, is to be heard before the Court of Session today.

Gordon Ross (66), from Glasgow, is seeking a ruling that the Lord Advocate should issue guidance similar to that published by the Director of Public Prosecutions in England & Wales.

Mr Ross suffers from a number of medical conditions including Parkinson's disease. Confined to a wheelchair, he is unable to feed or dress himself. Although he does not wish to end his life at present, he says that if the time comes when he feels he has "had enough", he will not be able to end his life without help. However anyone providing assistance would be liable to face a homicide charge.

Mr Ross claims that as a disabled person he is discriminated against under the law, as someone without his disabilities could choose to end their life at any time. 

The English guidelines were introduced after cases were taken to the highest courts under the Human Rights Act. The Lord Advocate has resisted calls for similar guidelines in Scotland as the Assisted Suicide (Scotland) Bill has gone through its stage 1 evidence hearings in the Scottish Parliament.