Helping suffering people to end their lives remains a crime in South Africa. Now, backed by eight influential doctors, an ethicist goes to the high court with the aim of decriminalising euthanasia.

Self deliverance, self death, suicide, call it what you will, does the state have a right over individual life?

We will soon find out in South Africa as Professor Willem Landman, of the Ethics Institute of SA and who sits on the executive committee of Dignity SA, approach the Pretoria High Court in June to seek clarity around current legislation.

The application hopes to have any form of euthanasia - including assisted suicide - decriminalised and that the court instructs Parliament to draft legislation which covers this.

Landman says that Dignity SA will ask the court to halt criminal prosecutions for euthanasia and assisted suicide until such time as there is legal clarity on the matter

Strengthening the case is the support of eight influential doctors who published their professional opinion in the SA Medical Journal in February.

There, Professor JP van Niekerk, Dr Paul Cluver, Dr Edwin Hertzog, Professor Mariana Kruger, Professor Keymanthri Moodley, Professor Jonny Myers, Professor Dan Ncayiyana and Dr Johan Snyman, all offered full support for DignitySA's planned court action.

"People will always differ on whether euthanasia is ethically justifiable, especially on a religious level. The fact is, that is not the debate we are...