France‘s highest civil court today ruled that Vincent Lambert must die by starvation and dehydration. Vincent was nearly made dead last month, but at the eleventh hour, an appellate court ordered that his food and water be restored. Today’s order appears to be final, as Vincent’s parents have exhausted all of their legal remedies to keep their son alive.
To start the killing process, doctors will heavily sedate Vincent. Why? Because death by starvation and dehydration is excruciating. Advocates for euthanizing Vincent say they want him to die with “dignity.“ But there is nothing dignified about withholding food and water from a disabled person.
“In any other context, killing by starvation and dehydration is considered a crime against humanity,“ said Life Legal Executive Director Alexandra Snyder. “Yet in France—as in the United States—we routinely impose this type of torturous death on individuals who are disabled. This has to stop. Disability should not be a death sentence.“
Life Legal regularly intervenes in cases where people are denied life-sustaining care, including the provision of food and water.