The son of a lady who was euthanised, after making a donation to a pro-euthanasia group, because she had depression is challenging the country’s euthanasia laws in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), it was reported in mid-September.
In 2012, Tom Mortier’s mother was killed by a lethal injection after three doctors who had no previous contact with her approved her euthanasia request. Mortier was only informed of the decision via a telephone call a day after his mother’s death. His challenge is with the help of religious liberty organisation Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF).
Robert Clarke, a lawyer for ADF, said: ‘The government has an obligation to protect life, not assist death. A person can claim that she should be able to do whatever she pleases, but that does not override the government’s responsibility to protect the weak and vulnerable. We are encouraging the European Court to uphold this principle, consistent with the European Convention on Human Rights’.
