A veterinarian who prescribed medication that allowed a friend with Charcot’s disease to kill himself in 2019 was released on Monday. A decision that could relaunch the debate on the end of life.
This is a first in this kind of case. On Monday, the court released a veterinarian who had helped a friend with Charcot’s disease die by giving him a fake prescription with euthanasia products. In its decision, the justice evokes “the state of necessity” in which this veterinarian found himself, judged for “false writing and use”.
“The state of necessity”, a concept very rarely used
The justice considered that the false prescription produced was justified to prevent more serious damage, in this case the suffering of his friend. This is what justice calls “the state of necessity”, a concept very rarely used in law and a first in this type of case according to Me Antoine Barret, the veterinarian’s lawyer. “We cannot constantly ignore people’s will, including in the most extreme cases,” he says.
Antoine Barret hopes that the release of his client will inspire the courts and allow an evolution of the legislation on the end of life. “If I was a deputy and I saw judges making decisions like that, I would hurry quickly to take up the question,” he says again.
“The legislator must propose a framework that respects the wishes”
“The 2016 law leaves the possibility either of going into exile in Belgium or Switzerland, or of having small arrangements between friends. This is not acceptable. The legislator must propose a framework that is human, respectful of consciences and wishes”, supports Philippe Lohéac, general delegate of the Association for the right to die with dignity. He appeals to the President of the Republic and hopes that Emmanuel Macron’s new mandate will be marked by an evolution of the law concerning euthanasia and assisted suicide in France.
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