Euthanasia Suspected at Hospital
Fourteen in 18 suspicious deaths at a hospital in Besanç arose through 'practices that can be described as euthanasia', a report leaked to the media says.
Fourteen in 18 suspicious deaths at a hospital in the French town of Besançon arose through "practices that can be described as euthanasia", a report leaked to the French media says.
The medical report, part of a judicial inquiry launched at Besançon's university hospital last April, concluded that four of the 14 patients died because of "direct" euthanasia "by means of the injection of products intended to bring about death", L'Express said.
The other 10 died after being administered tranquillisers "that could ... trigger a respiratory slowdown leading to death". All the patients, the report said,"had exhausted all therapeutic possibilities".
A police spokesman in Dijon said yesterday it was not clear how the possibly explosive report would be handled and there would need to be more investigations.
The case is sure to revive debate on this sensitive subject after the highly publicised euthanasia of Vincent Humbert, 21, who, after disability following a car crash, made repeated requests to die. After his mother, Marie, failed to end his life with barbiturates, he was given lethal injections by his doctor - who is now under investigation. Ms Humbert, meanwhile, faces charges of "administering a toxic substance".
Last week the justice minister, Dominique Perben, proposed rules letting doctors "accompany" the death of incurable patients without threat of legal action, a change that would mean not altering the penal code nor introducing a "right to die" or "assisted suicide", but just altering France's medical code.
The medical report, part of a judicial inquiry launched at Besançon's university hospital last April, concluded that four of the 14 patients died because of "direct" euthanasia "by means of the injection of products intended to bring about death", L'Express said.
The other 10 died after being administered tranquillisers "that could ... trigger a respiratory slowdown leading to death". All the patients, the report said,"had exhausted all therapeutic possibilities".
A police spokesman in Dijon said yesterday it was not clear how the possibly explosive report would be handled and there would need to be more investigations.
The case is sure to revive debate on this sensitive subject after the highly publicised euthanasia of Vincent Humbert, 21, who, after disability following a car crash, made repeated requests to die. After his mother, Marie, failed to end his life with barbiturates, he was given lethal injections by his doctor - who is now under investigation. Ms Humbert, meanwhile, faces charges of "administering a toxic substance".
Last week the justice minister, Dominique Perben, proposed rules letting doctors "accompany" the death of incurable patients without threat of legal action, a change that would mean not altering the penal code nor introducing a "right to die" or "assisted suicide", but just altering France's medical code.
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