The terminally ill 57-year-old Frenchman, who is barred from euthanasia by law, wants to broadcast his death live on the Internet in protest. Alain Cocq, who suffers from a rare arterial disease, has even addressed President Emmanuel Macron with his request to die. However, he also told him that the deliberate killing of a patient was not allowed by French law.
Cocq, who is convinced that he has about a week to live, wants to make a live broadcast of his bed available on Facebook from Saturday. It intends to convince politicians that not allowing people in the final stages of incurable diseases to die peacefully is a mistake. According to him, people must see the “agony” caused by the impossibility of euthanasia.
Cocq also posted Macron’s response to his request on Facebook. “Because I am not above the law, I cannot comply with your request,” the president wrote. “I cannot ask anyone to go beyond the current legal framework… You wish to die with the active contribution of another person, which is not currently allowed in our country,” he added.
Euthanasia
The possibility of intentionally killing a patient with an incurable disease at his own request, in order to reduce his suffering. It is illegal in most countries, and very few states recognize it. It was the first in the world to be legalized in 2002 by the Netherlands, and is also made possible by Belgium, Luxembourg, Colombia and Canada.
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Euthanasia is a controversial topic in France and has been repeatedly debated, for example, in connection with the case of tetraplegic Vincent Lambert, who died last July after many years of litigation. Forty-two-year-old Lambert has been in a vegetative state since the accident in 2008 and, according to doctors, did not perceive his surroundings.
After vain attempts to improve in 2013, a medical team from a hospital in Reims recommended disconnecting it from artificial nutrition devices. While Rachel’s wife and some of the patient’s siblings agreed, parents and other relatives opposed it.
You might be interested in: The war on the legalization of euthanasia in the Czech Republic
If someone wants to kill a relative, let them kill him, I don’t understand why paramedics should do it, it’s a violation of the Hippocratic oath, says War. | Video: DVTV, Emma Smetana
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