The state has been granted leave to appeal a high court ruling that gave terminally ill Robert Stransham-Ford, of Cape Town, the right to end his life with the assistance of a medical doctor. Judge Hans Fabricius ruled yesterday that the state and the Health Professions Council of SA could appeal his judgment, which gave Stransham-Ford the right to commit assisted suicide.The appeal will be heard by the Supreme Court of Appeal.In papers, the state and HPCSA argued that dying and suffering were not an infringement on Stransham-Ford's constitutional right to dignity.They accused the judge of overstepping his powers and changing the law on assisted dying, which they said only parliament could do.Willem Landman, spokesman of NGO Dignity SA, said it was interesting that Fabricius did not allow the appeal on the basis that the state had a "reasonable prospect of success". ..