French woman takes final journey to Belgium for euthanasia

The Manila Times

French woman takes final journey to Belgium for euthanasia  Lydie Imhoff, a 43-year-old Frenchwoman with hemiplegia and visual impairment since birth, chose euthanasia in Belgium. Since March 2023, Imhoff has been experiencing 'progressive loss of limb function.' AFP documented her journey -- from an interview with her psychiatrist in Brussels to her final moments.  Photos by AFP  Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe  Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net    Follow us:  Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook  Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram  Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter  DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion    Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital    Check out our Podcasts:  Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify  Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts  Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic  Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer  Stitcher: https://tmt.ph/stitcher Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein   #TheManilaTimes  #worldnews  #french    #peace

Transcript

00:00 Liddy spends one last night in her apartment in Bézancent, in eastern France.

00:08 Tomorrow morning she'll embark on her final journey, the one to Belgium, to end her life.

00:18 On the one hand, I can't wait for release.

00:22 On the other hand, I feel guilty for leaving behind the people I love.

00:28 But at the end of the day, it's a choice I've made.

00:34 Liddy has been partially paralysed since birth and visually impaired since childhood.

00:39 But an accident in 2009 fractured several vertebrae and she's now losing control of

00:45 her limbs.

00:46 When she stopped being able to use her hands to read braille, she decided to start the

00:50 process to be euthanised.

00:55 On her way to Brussels, a stop to say goodbye to Claudette, who helped Liddy find the doctors

01:00 who would certify that she met the strict legal criteria for euthanasia in Belgium.

01:08 I just hope once I'm up there that I'll be in peace, that I can get some rest, because

01:15 I'm tired.

01:16 I'm tired of every day being a battle against my illness, against my disabilities, against

01:23 everything.

01:24 It's too much.

01:31 Last stop, the hospital in the Belgian capital, where she meets Dr Delocht.

01:41 I'm the person who will take care of liberating you, if I can use that word.

01:51 I'm thinking about the people I will leave behind.

02:02 They will say in the days to come that, despite the sadness they feel, that you're free from

02:09 your suffering.

02:13 The following day, Liddy is surrounded by her friends as the time for the lethal injection

02:18 approaches.

02:21 We inject a barbiturate, and in less than a minute, you'll fall asleep without suffering.

02:28 Do you agree?

02:29 Yes.

02:30 OK, we'll prepare the product, we'll leave you together, and we'll be back in a few minutes.

02:42 Liddy's face is calm.

02:43 She smiles as the doctors approach with the syringe filled with the barbiturate theopental.

02:55 The strong anaesthetic puts Liddy to sleep, then slows her breathing and heart until they

03:01 stop.

03:03 Her disabilities were getting worse, so my feeling was that the sickness was killing

03:13 her little by little, and I put an end to her suffering, which is in line with my ethics

03:18 as a doctor.

03:20 I don't have the feeling I killed her, I feel like I cut short her suffering, and that,

03:25 I think, is important.

03:31 Like Liddy, each year, several dozen French people choose euthanasia in Belgium.

03:36 [MUSIC PLAYING]

03:44 [DING]

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