Conseil d'État - Judgment on Vincent Lambert

Five years ago, 39-year-old fireman, Vincent Lambert, was left in a vegetative state by a motorcycle accident.  His doctors, his wife and most of his brothers and sisters believe that Mr. Lambert has no proper life and no prospect of recovery. They believe that he should be allowed to die.  But Mr. Lambert’s devout Catholic parents, one sister, the French government and a lower court believe that his life should be preserved. 



Today the Council of State ruled that Mr. Lambert's physicians may stop his life-sustaining treatment.  (In France, administrative tribunals settle disputes between a public body (like a government hospital) and a private entity. The Conseil d’État is the supreme administrative court.)



The Council of State relied on evidence that Mr. Lambert had clearly and repeatedly expressed the wish not to be kept artificially alive in the event it would be in a state of dependency.  It was careful to caution that the fact that a person is in an irreversible state of unconsciousness does not characterize, by itself, a situation in which the continuation of treatment would be unjustified on the basis of unreasonable obstinacy. 



Mr. Lambert's parents have appealed to the European Court of Human Rights.  But since the French Court's decision seems squarely in accord with ECHR precedent, it is unlikely they will obtain relief there.