Video by Vincent Lambert in the heart of the debate on the end of life – Le Figaro

VIDEO – VIDEO – As the European Court has just validated the judgment of care of the young man made a video broadcast by a committee of support shown pretend react to external stimuli. His wife and doctors denounce manipulation.

Five days after the decision of the European Court of Human Rights to validate stopping care for Vincent Lambert, the images show the semblance interact with his surroundings. Turnée in Reims by the support committee of the youth, this video would like to show that it is “not the end of life.” Doctors and part of the patient’s family are outraged by its distribution.

In the introduction, Emmanuel Guépin, member of the support committee keeping alive Vincent Lambert, is as a former classmate and said it had shot the video the same day of the decision of the ECHR, with the father and the patient’s brother. Vincent Lambert It reveals seeming to react to the voice of his mother talking on the phone. The latter said: “I call you to Strasbourg, the news is perhaps not good but we are always there beside you. We’ll get you out of there. This is not fair. I love you, we will fight. “

Another close-up shows his stepbrother David talking to him, leaning on his face while the patient blinks and eyes follow . “We saw Vincent react very strongly with his brother says video. There are many interactions between them, supported by looks and expressions on the face. “

Doctors disagree

An interpretation with which doctors disagree. Some of them have reacted strongly to the vision of these images.

Eric Kariger, former head of palliative care service in which was treated Vincent Lambert, on Europe 1 recognizes that patients in irreversible vegetative state “are indeed disturbing for common mortals. One has the

feeling that they react to their environment, since all the sensory information coming to their brains. If you make a noise, they can react, they will have a look that seems to be picked. “However, he wishes to rise against the spread of this video, he denounces as a” manipulation “. “The best experts gave a look at this. Unfortunately, diagnosis and prognosis that have been confirmed, is the serious and irreversible vegetative state. “

On BFMTV, Devalois Bernard, head of the palliative care unit of Pontoise is even more direct, saying the patient is “absolutely not react” to listen or to his family. “We would read him the directory, we would have exactly the same images.”

“You can not understand in two minutes”

Unlike parents, a part of the family of Vincent Lambert welcomes the cessation of treatment. His wife, Rachel Lambert, believes that this “video brings no new element, Vincent’s condition has not changed for years.” “It is not in two minutes we can understand the state of my husband,” responded the young woman “appalled by the spread of video and some reactions on social networks.”

The decision to validate the arrest of care taken in the context of the Leonetti Act of 2005, corresponded to the wishes of Rachel, supported by six brothers and sisters of her husband, all convinced that n would not have wanted to live in this state. In contrast, parents of the patient, a sister and a half brother denounced a “disguised euthanasia”.