In 2005, the French Parliament enacted Law 2005-370, popularly known as Leonetti's Law. Article 1, like recent Spanish laws, prohibits therapeutic obstinacy:
“The acts of prevention, investigation or treatment must not be continued with unreasonable obstinacy. When they seem useless, disproportionate or to have no other effect than solely the artificial preservation of life, they can be withheld or withdrawn. In that case, the doctor safeguards the dignity of the dying and ensures the quality of their life.”
Clinicians at CHU Reims determined that this Article was triggered in the case of Vincent Lambert, a 37-year-old who is in a minimally conscious state as the result of a 2008 road accident. While Lambert's wife agreed with clinicians (and had evidence that his wishes would be for comfort measures only), his parents opposed the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment.
The Administrative Court of Chalons-en-Champagne agreed with the parents, concluding that Article 1 was not triggered. (Le Monde)
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