Judge rules quadriplegic may refuse food

PERTH, Australia, Aug. 15 (UPI) -- A quadriplegic man in Perth, Australia, may refuse food and water so he can end his life, a justice ruled Friday.

Christian Rossiter, 49, is of sound mind and thus has a right to decide whether to live or die, Wayne Martin, Western Australian Supreme Court chief justice, ruled.

The Perth nursing home where Rossiter lives had sought a court ruling after Rossiter repeatedly asked that food and water be withheld so he could die.

"I'm happy that I won my right to die by no sustenance and no water, (and) quadriplegics can choose whether they want to live," Rossiter told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

After a series of accidents, including being hit by a car, Rossiter developed spastic quadriplegia.

The president of Western Australia's Right to Life Association, Peter O'Meara, called the ruling a dangerous precedent.

"We know that from our discussion with quadriplegics who are in a far worse situation than him, they were saying that if he got proper stimulus, he could change his mind," O'Meara said. "If it does set a precedent, we would be very much concerned."