When Mary’s body became gradually paralysed by an incurable disease, until she could breathe only on a ventilator, she decided she would prefer to have her ventilator switched off. Her doctors refused to do it, saying her illness had affected her mental state.
They were afraid they would be breaking the law if they agreed. So she asked the courts to back her up and arrange to find a hospital that would allow her to die with dignity. Finally, she won the right to determine her own fate, and died.