Pretoria, South Africa, Dec 9, 2016 / 06:02 am
While countries around the world such as Canada, Germany and Japan have passed legislation to legalize physician assisted suicide, one has ruled to reject it: South Africa.
The country's Supreme Court of Appeals overturned a high court ruling on Tuesday that would have allowed Robin Stransham-Ford, a 65-year-old retiree who had prostate cancer, to kill himself with the help of a doctor.
"A court addressing these issues needs to be aware of differing cultural values and attitudes within our diverse population," the Supreme Court stated, according to the Daily Mail.
In addition, the court noted that in Stransham-Ford's case, the high court made their ruling on an "incorrect and restricted factual basis," and that there was "no full and proper examination of the present state of our law in this difficult area."