Israel allows terminal patient to choose death
Hospital gradually reduces oxygen and the rate of ventilation given to unidentified man, who suffered from ALS
Illustrative photo of an Israeli hospital (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
For the first time, Israel has invoked the provisions of its 2005 “Dying Patient Act” to allow a terminally ill patient to die.
A Tel Aviv court on Tuesday revealed that the amounts of oxygen and the rate of ventilation given to the unidentified man were gradually reduced last week, resulting in his death. The man had been suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a neurodegenerative disorder commonly referred to as ALS and Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Attorneys representing the man said Israel’s attorney general had supported their client’s petition to end his own life.
The attorneys said the man’s request to die stemmed from a recent deterioration in his condition.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.
