In letter sent to AFP on Saturday May 11, 2019 and relayed by France 3, Doctor Sanchez of the University Hospital of Reims, who takes care of Vincent Lambert, announced the end of the treatment planned for the week of May 20, 2019. The 42-year-old man has been quadriplegic, in a vegetative state, for 10 years .
This decision comes following a legal twist that dates from the end of April 2019. The European Court of Human Rights has validated the decision of the Council of State concerning the termination of Vincent Lambert’s care, against a request from his parents.
But in the meantime, a UN International Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CIDPH) gave an opinion (May 4) asking France to suspend any request for interruption of care. That said, this opinion does not represent an obligation for the French State as recalled by the Minister of Health Agnès Buzyn.
Yet another legal action?
If this statement suggests that the battle around the Vincent Lambert case, symbol of the debate on the end of life, could end with the end of care the week of May 20, his parents do not intend to stop there. Their lawyer told France 3: “We won’t let Dr. Sanchez do it. We will take legal action to enforce the UN’s provisional actions.“
Vincent Lambert’s parents also published a press release on May 11 on a support site. We can read there: “If this decision was executed, Vincent Lambert would die in a few days, probably surrounded by police forces in number, and Doctor Sanchez could give Viviane Lambert a dead son for Mother’s Day on May 26.“
Read also:
- Vincent Lambert case: 10 years later, where are we?
- Vincent Lambert: the court orders a new medical expertise
