Judge OKs Quadriplegic’s Plea to Be Allowed to Die

A Nevada judge today granted the death wish of a quadriplegic who asked to be removed from a respirator that has sustained his life for more than 20 years.

Kenneth A. Bergstedt, 31, said he no longer enjoys life and wants to die in peace. He asked the court to allow him to take a sedative and have his life-support system turned off.

Bergstedt sought a legal ruling that his actions would not constitute suicide or a crime and that people who helped him would not be subject to prosecution.

The case is believed to be the first of its kind to hit Nevada’s courts and is only one of a handful of others documented in the nation.

After an evidentiary hearing that lasted about an hour, state District Judge Donald Mosley found that Bergstedt was mentally competent to make the decision to end his life. The judge also ruled that the elements of homicide and suicide were not factors in the case.

“The prognosis is less than encouraging, and there is no real likelihood that life will improve for Mr. Bergstedt,” Mosley said in issuing the ruling.