Jerusalem – For the first time, Israel has invoked the provisions of its 2005 “Dying Patient Act” to allow a terminally ill patient to chose death.

A Tel Aviv court on Tuesday revealed that the amounts of oxygen and the rate of ventilation being given to the unidentified man gradually were reduced starting last week, resulting in his death. The man had been suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a neurodegenerative disorder commonly referred to as ALS and Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Attorneys representing the man said Israel’s attorney general had supported their client’s petition to end his own life.

The attorneys said the man’s request to die stemmed from a recent deterioration in his condition.