A RIGHT-TO-DIE campaigner said he is "utterly undaunted" as he takes his appeal to the highest court in Scotland.

Grandfather Gordon Ross, who is a former treasurer of the Humanist Society Scotland (HSS), will seek an order to clarify the legal position regarding his right to die at the Court of Session in Edinburgh.

Mr Ross, 66, suffers from several serious medical conditions, including Parkinson’s disease and loss of sensation in his arms and legs. He is unable to walk, feed or dress himself and is confined to a wheelchair.

In September, Lord Doherty, ruled not to compel the Lord Advocate to publish guidelines regarding assisting someone to take their own life, a decision which Mr Ross is now appealing.

Similar guidelines have been published in England by the Director of Public Prosecutions but these do not apply to Scotland.

Mr Ross, who lives at a care home in Glasgow, does not want to die but wants reassurance that if he asks someone to assist him to end his life in future - when he is no longer physically capable of doing so himself - that they would not be charged with murder or manslaughter.

Mr Ross said: “I am utterly undaunted by the judgement at the Court of Session in September. I remain convinced that I am being unfairly discriminated against on account of my disability which is why I am appealing against that decision.”

Chief executive of HSS, Gordon MacRae, said the existing cross-Border anomaly was "highly unusual".

He added: "We believe that people with life-shortening conditions should have the dignity and choice, with strong safeguards, to seek assistance to end their lives at a time and place of their choice.

"We hope that the Court will see sense in this matter and compel the Lord Advocate to bring forward prosecution guidance."