"Court absolves French doctor who withheld Vincent Lambert’s food, water until he died"

"A court has absolved a physician of any wrongdoing in the deliberate death of disabled Frenchman Vincent Lambert, who died after being denied food and water.

In Reims, a French court absolved a doctor on Tuesday in the death of Lambert, 42, after ceasing to provide basic nutrition and hydration for his patient, who had long convalesced after a serious brain injury. Dr. Vincent Sanchez had been sued by Lambert’s parents for 'failure to assist a person in danger.'

Lambert died July 11, 2019, nine days after being denied food and water. A tetraplegic, Lambert died at Reims University Hospital as a result of heart failure after his kidneys malfunctioned due to being denied the basic necessities of life.

'It is very likely that we will appeal this decision,' said Jean Paillot, one of the lawyers for parents Viviane and Pierre Lambert, after the hearing. The court ruled that Dr. Sanchez had followed all of the required legal norms in denying care to the patient.

In early 2019, the Lamberts sued Dr. Sanchez, saying they were not seeking revenge but charging that he had crossed a 'red line' to bring about their son’s death by denying food and water. They claimed that he had violated his medical oath. Dr. Sanchez is the chief physician at the Reims hospital.

Vincent Lambert was involved in a serious motorcycle accident in 2008, causing extensive brain damage. According to media reports, he was in a persistent vegetative state. His parents argued that, despite his injuries and his condition, he should have been allowed to live and receive treatment. His wife, however, argued that Vincent would not have wanted to continue living in his condition, even though he left no living will. She called for a halt to treatment, as well as nutrition and hydration."