Anorexic woman should be allowed to die
Date published: 18 June 2012
A judge’s decision to order the force-feeding of a 32 year old anorexic woman has been criticised by a Rochdale MEP.
The woman, who cannot be named, has suffered from anorexia since she was 12 years old. She has twice signed legal declarations that oppose her being given food against her will.
Although describing her as “intelligent and charming”, Mr Justice Peter Jackson, sitting at the Court of Protection, ordered last Friday that she be force fed. He admitted that this was not necessarily in her best interests.
Rochdale Liberal Democrat MEP Chris Davies accepted that the judge had had to make a difficult decision but he insisted that the woman’s wishes should be respected.
He said: “Is she to be tied down and fed by force against her will for a week, a month, or for the rest of her life?
“This is not a matter of treating a child who may recover, but of respecting the repeated wishes of a mature woman who understands the consequences of her decision.”
Do you have a story for us?
Let us know by emailing news@rochdaleonline.co.uk
All contact will be treated in confidence.
Most Viewed News Stories
- 1Hundreds protest at police station after it emerges man in shocking airport footage is from...
- 2Kitchen company with its HQ in Rochdale celebrates two decades of success
- 3Huge family homes and ‘feature meadow’ to be built next to woodland
- 4Heywood Model Railway Group faces closure amid business rates rise
- 540 Apprenticeships available with Rochdale Training
To contact the Rochdale Online news desk, email news@rochdaleonline.co.uk or visit our news submission page.
To get the latest news on your desktop or mobile, follow Rochdale Online on Twitter and Facebook.