On Wednesday the 3rd of July, the German Federal Court of Justice (BGH) has confirmed the acquittals of two doctors in passive euthanasia cases. The doctors were not obliged to save the life of their patients after a suicide attempt.
The 5th Criminal Division of the BGH in Leipzig confirmed previous judgments of the regional courts in Berlin and Hamburg. These had each decided that the patient’s will has to be respected. With its decision, the Federal Court of Justice loosened an old case law on the treatment of physicians with consented patients.
The case in Hamburg involved two over 80-year-old women who wanted to end their lives in 2012. They had made an advance directive in which they stated not to be reanimated or treated anymore. The doctors were there when they took a fatal drug dose and the doctors also accompanied their dying. The doctors did not take any measures to rescue him. The prosecution had accused them because of a homicidal offense.
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PS: This newsitem was brought under the attention of the Worldfederation by Sytze de Vries, thank you Sytze!