The care from which Vincent Lambert benefits will be stopped in the week of May 20. Vincent Sanchez, his attending physician, gave the information to the family by mail.
Vincent Lambert’s treatments should be interrupted soon. The family of this man, who has been in a vegetative state for more than ten years, has been informed by the attending physician, Dr Vincent Sanchez. In a letter, of which AFP was able to obtain a copy, he said: “I inform you that the cessation of treatment and the deep and continuous sedation mentioned during the collegial procedure will be initiated during the week of May 20″.
Lawyers intend to launch an appeal
On April 9, 2018, the Reims University Hospital came out in favor of stopping treatment in a collegial decision. A little over a year later, on April 24, the Council of State validated the procedure, which was declared legal. The family of Vincent Lambert seized the European Court of Human Rights in stride, but it rejected their request. At the same time, they appealed to the UN’s International Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: the CIDPH asked France to suspend the decision to stop until the case is examined on the merits. Agnès Buzyn, Minister of Health, affirmed that France was not bound to respect this request.
This declaration provoked strong reactions from the lawyers of the parents of Vincent Lambert. After receiving the letter from Dr. Sanchez, they spoke about France Info : “You can well imagine that we are not going to let it go and that we are in the process of drafting a certain number of complementary appeals”, they declared. “We are taking the matter to the competent courts so that France is forced to respect its international commitments”.
Ten years of pauci-relational coma
In 2008, Vincent Lambert, a 32-year-old nurse, was the victim of a car accident. The consequences of the accident are serious, the doctors claim that he suffers from irreversible brain damage. The man is in a pauci-relational coma, that is to say a minimal state of consciousness. In 2013, faced with the lack of progress, his wife, and legal guardian, decided with the medical team to stop treatment and food, but Vincent Lambert’s parents opposed it. This is the start of a long court case, which could end the week of May 20.
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