A real drama. This Thursday, October 20, 2016, José de Albuquerque (73) was given a two-year suspended prison sentence by the Court of Assizes of Haut-Rhin, in Alsace. On the night of January 15 to 16, 2014, this pensioner of Portuguese origin had euthanized his wife by making her swallow a lethal dose of sleeping tablets. Arminda, 70, suffered from Alzheimer’s disease for more than 10 years: in January 2014, she had not spoken for 5 years and could not get out of bed for 2 years…
The premeditation was not retained: indeed, the retiree could have been tried for “murder”, a crime punishable by life imprisonment. During the trial, the septuagenarian appeared free: when the verdict was announced, he burst into tears before kissing his 5 children.
The prosecutor, who had requested a 4-year prison sentence for “intention to cause death without premeditation”, underlined the tragic nature of this story: “the fact of constantly keeping his wife with him could not to finish. We are on a tragedy, on something that had to happen ”. The defense lawyer, for his part, highlighted the sacrifice of the pensioner, interpreting the use of sleeping pills: “the method of administration reflects a form of compassion. My client did not put a pillow on his wife’s head, there is no harm to the body”.
8.3 million caregivers in France
At the end of the hearing, Alice (44), the pensioner’s daughter, explained: “I do not endorse what he did, but I understand. For caregivers it is very difficult, it is tiring, nervously and physically”. To take care of his sick wife, whom he had cared for for 10 years, José de Albuquerque was helped by 2 nurses and by carers.
As a reminder, according to an OpinionWay survey carried out in October 2015, in France, 8.3 million people would help an elderly and/or sick person on a daily basis. One in five “caregivers” would even devote more than 40 hours a week to a loved one. And according to another study published in March 2016, 48% of carers would have fragile health: more sleep disorders, a persistent feeling of loneliness, more frequent drug intake, even physical pain… A delicate situation.
To read :
Euthanasia: 9 out of 10 French people are in favor of it
Euthanasia: Belgium will extend it to minors
