Argentine court gives patient right to "die with dignity"

Argentina's Supreme Court of Justice recognized a patient's right to "die with dignity" on Tuesday.

With a majority vote of three out of four members, the South American country's highest court of law said "they respect the person's will, therefore they suspend measures which have been artificially prolonging his life for 20 years."

In this way, the highest court upheld the decision made by the Superior Court of Justice in the central province of Neuquen to allow 50-year-old Marcelo Diez to die with dignity.

Diez has been in a vegetative state since 1994 after a motorcycle accident.

The ruling stems from a 2012 law that allows people to state in advance what they want to happen to them if they become incapacitated or terminally ill, according to the supreme court.

However, because Diez had no written record of what he wants, the court let his siblings speak and decide for him. Studies have confirmed the irreversible and incurable nature of Diez's condition.

Some people have been against letting the man die as they feel it is morally wrong. A Facebook page entitled "Don't kill Marcelo Diez" has also been created. Enditem