Australian Man Fights for Right to Starve to Death

August 11, 2009

A quadriplegic man who is lying in a nursing home in Australia has requested that he be allowed to starve to death. The man was an avid outdoor enthusiast and mountain climber until an accident rendered him fully paralyzed. The 49-year-old believes that there is nothing left in life for him, so he has asked that his caretakers accept his decision to stop eating. He says that his life is “a living hell.”

The man asked for a hearing to be held at his bedside, but the nursing home refused- saying that he would disturb the other patients, that there would not be enough room in the hospital to accommodate all of the officials and would risk cross-contamination for the patients living in the facility.

The man has said that he is more than willing to travel to the courtroom, but that it was going to be an inconvenience and a great deal of organization.