Case of Debbie Purdy
Debbie Purdy (born c.1963) is a British political activist from Bradford, West Yorkshire with
multiple sclerosis, notable for her challenge to the law in England and Wales as relates to assisted
suicide. On 20 September 2009, it was announced that guidelines on assisted suicide law will be
published by the UK Government. The guidelines for England and Wales "come after a legal battle
won by Debbie Purdy", as "Law Lords accepted earlier this year that [Purdy] had a right to know
whether her husband would be prosecuted if he helped her to travel abroad to commit suicide."
Debbie Purdy and her counsel David Pannick QC argued that the Director of Public Prosecutions
(Ken Macdonald QC) is infringing on her human rights by failing to clarify how the Suicide Act
1961 is enforced. The DPP counsel takes the position that the law does not require the DPP to
make any further clarification of the Act, they argue that the Act and further information
contained in the Code for Crown Prosecutors provides sufficient information.
Purdy's particular concern was to discover what, if any, actions her husband, Omar Puente, takes
in assisting her suicide would lead to his prosecution.[ The penalty for those who “aid, abet,
counsel or procure the suicide of another” is a maximum of 14 years. No family member of the 92
Britons who have gone abroad for an assisted suicide has been prosecuted but some have been
charged and have had to wait for months before hearing the charges have been dropped. Purdy
says that if her husband would be exposed to prosecution for helping her travel to Switzerland to
a Dignitas clinic to die, she would make the journey sooner whilst she is able to travel unassisted.
This would save her husband from exposure to the law but also forces Purdy to make her decision
on dying before she feels it is absolutely necessary.
The hearing began on October 2, 2008 and was complete soon after. The venue was the High
Court of Justice. It proceeded before Lord Justice Scott Baker and Mr Justice Aikens. In court
the DPP said that Purdy could not be given any reassurance that her husband would not be
prosecuted as the law was clear that assisting suicide is an offence.
On 10 December 2008 Sky TV broadcast a programme on which a man with motor neurone disease
was shown committing suicide with assistance. There had also been the UK case of a Mr James
who went to Switzerland with the aid of his parents after being paralysed whilst playing rugby and
the Department of Public Prosecutions determined that to prosecute the parents would be against
the public interest. These two events led to the issue of assisted suicide making the first story on
the BBC's Newsnight. Purdy appeared to debate the issue and denied that it is society that makes
disabled people wish to kill themselves and reasserted her belief that it is right to be able to seek
assistance when one is physically incapable of committing suicide oneself.
Purdy met her husband in Singapore when he was playing with a band, and married in 1998 in
Bradford. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis after she found her feet felt heavy when out
dancing. Currently she uses a wheelchair for mobility and both her sight and hearing have begun to
deteriorate. The publication of guidance on when prosecutions should be brought in assisted
suicide cases represents a victory for multiple sclerosis sufferer Debbie Purdy.
But amid the celebrations, her husband Omar Puente still faces the prospect of helping her
die.
Like many husbands, Omar Puente thinks his wife talks too much. They bicker a lot, he admits, but
enjoy Indian takeaways - like any normal couple.
Case of Debbie Purdy
However, unlike anyone else, Mr Puente has seen his wife become the face of Britain's right-todie campaign. Debbie Purdy's fight for clarification of the circumstances in which her husband
could be prosecuted for helping her commit suicide is being rewarded by the release of guidance
on the issue.
Through every step of her battle, Mr Puente - a Cuban-born jazz violinist - has been at her side.
"It's a big day. I'm really happy for her," says the 47-year-old.
After sharing her life for nearly 15 years, how does Mr Puente cope with media coverage focusing
on the prospect of his wife's death? "I love my wife and I'm going to lose a lot when she's gone.
But I don't think she's going to die tomorrow.
"At the same time I could be run over by a bus. You just don't think about that - you think
positive and enjoy life. We have a good life together, good times."
This philosophy has served the couple well since Ms Purdy's illness was diagnosed. It happened
barely a month after the couple met - in 1995 in a Singapore bar where, as a music journalist, she
muddled through an interview with him despite neither speaking the other's language.
Mr Puente was working in Malaysia when she telephoned him with her news. "I didn't really know
what she meant because this isn't common in Cuba, so I said 'just take a plane and come back to
me and we'll do something about it'," he says. Despite the devastating diagnosis, their love grew.
Struggle
"We were both foreigners in a third country and it was a necessity to help each other - that was
one of the ingredients from the beginning of our strong relationship," he says.
"Since then we've stuck together - good times and bad."
They made the most of life in the far east. Even as Ms Purdy's mobility became too restricted to
allow her to indulge in her love of dancing, Mr Puente would balance her feet on his and sweep her
round the floor. When Ms Purdy felt her deteriorating health left her with no choice but to go
back to the UK, Mr Puente followed. They married in 1998.
"I arrived in England in the middle of winter and it was freezing cold and I thought 'what is this',"
Mr Puente recalls. "I struggled a lot at the beginning and people didn't want to hear the violin, so
I played double bass in an orchestra to put food on the table."
As years went by, Mr Puente built a network of friends and saw his reputation as a musician grow working with artists such as Jools Holland, Kirsty MacColl and Courtney Pine.
But since the death in 2002 of motor neurone disease sufferer Diane Pretty, who lost a legal
battle to allow her husband to help her take her own life, Mr Puente and his wife have seen a cloud
on the horizon.
'Confidence'
Without assurances that her husband would be immune from prosecution, Ms Purdy insisted her
only option was to die in Switzerland while still physically able to travel alone.
Her husband says: "If [the law] wasn't clear, Debbie would have to go to Switzerland before she
was really ready to end her life." Now, he hopes the guidance will give him - and other couples the confidence to travel with their loved ones when the time comes.
"It will be clear for most people to decide whatever they want to do. If something's not clear at
least they will feel able to ask."
Until such time, Mr Puente is keen to focus on playing music - and passing on his skills on to
students at both Leeds College of Music and London's Trinity College of Music, where he teaches.
On 5 October, he releases his debut solo album - the Courtney Pine-produced From There to Here
- followed by a launch event during London Jazz Festival in November.
Case of Debbie Purdy
Keen to take the positives from his experiences, he believes the rough and smooth of his life in
England have helped him improve his work.
"Maybe I could have recorded it a long time ago but I've gathered experience in England and had
the opportunity to play with great musicians here," he says.
"I'm really happy. It's time to get on with life and we're going to have a lot of fun."