THE family of a Hampshire man who starved himself to death after being told his bowel condition could not be cured has thrown their support behind a national campaign to legalise euthanasia.

The plight of Danny Bond, pictured above in 2001, touched the hearts of a community after the 21-year-old said he would rather die than face any more operations to prolong his life.

Danny had undergone 300 operations when he was told there was nothing more that could be done for him. He eventually lost his battle with a rare bowel condition and the superbug MRSA in July 2001.

Brave Danny, who was from Totton, told his mum Beverley and stepdad Mike Dodds of his decision to refuse food and effectively starve himself to death after being told he was going to die.

Now the couple say it should have been his right to be allowed to die without having to starve himself after taking the decision not to have any more operations to extend his life.

As a result the pair travelled to London yesterday to support a House of Lords select committee hearing into whether euthanasia should be legalised.

Mr Dodds, 46, said: "During Danny's last year when he was really suffering with the trauma of his condition he made the decision that having heard the fact that there was nothing more that could be done for him that he wanted to die.

"At first we resisted that but when we heard his rationale we understood why he wanted to. What right has anybody got to forcibly keep him alive, in pain and wasting away just because we can, even though it is inevitable they are going to die?"

Yesterday was the first day of evidence at the hearing and saw the Voluntary Euthanasia Society present the results of a survey that showed 82 per cent of the public agreed there should be a change in the law to allow medically assisted dying.