Terminally ill teen wins legal battle for preservation

DETAILS have just been released of the case of a 14-year-old London girl who won a historic legal battle to have her body preserved through cryogenics just days before her death last month.

The teenager, whose name may not be published, spent her last months of life investigating the method of preserving the body in liquid nitrogen in case a cure can be found in the future.

Although her mother supported the wishes of the girl, who was terminally ill with a rare form of cancer, her estranged father was against the idea leading to a legal dispute.

Mr Justice Peter Jackson, who visited the youngster in hospital and spoke of her brave decision, explained that his ruling did not consider the rights or wrongs of cryonics and simply upheld the girl’s right to decide on what would be done with her remains.

In her letter, the teenager explained that she wished to live longer, even if it took hundreds of years for a cure to be found.

The body of the girl, who died in October, has been taken to the US. 

Judge Jackson said that the case was the first of its kind to arrive in England and Wales, and probably anywhere in the world.