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French police seize illegal euthanasia drugs in raids

AFP
AFP - [email protected]
French police seize illegal euthanasia drugs in raids
French right to die campaigners. Photo: AFP

French police carried out nationwide raids on Tuesday to seize dozens of bottles of a suspected illegal barbiturate often used by people intent on performing assisted suicides or euthanasia, prosecutors said.

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France's right-to-die laws allow only so-called "passive" euthanasia for severely ill or injured patients, often by removing a person's life support systems.

It does not let ill or elderly people take their own life, which some religious groups denounce as "state-sponsored suicide."

READ ALSO The story of Vincent Lambert, the man at the centre of France's bitter right to die case

US authorities alerted French colleagues last July that several packages containing Nembutal, a brand name for the drug pentobarbital, had been discovered en route to France marked as cosmetics.

The drug, owned by the Danish firm Lundbeck, has been outlawed for human medical use in France since 1996.

"Produced by a Danish laboratory which has an exclusive licence to make it in the United States, it is sometimes misused by people hoping to end their lives," Paris prosecutor Remy Heitz said in a statement.

Investigators found 125 direct recipients of the barbiturate, and on Tuesday some 300 officers carried out raids in 18 regions across France.

Heitz said 130 bottles suspected of containing Nembutal were seized at 103 different sites, and analyses are planned.

He did not say if any people were arrested during the investigations or raids.

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Anonymous 2019/11/04 23:28
Francolion, life should be protected. The real issue is why are women having babies they don't want or can't take care of? Oh, and fetus means "little one" in Latin. Good palliative care should be given to those in hospice. Make sure you have what you want spelled out in writing or someone may decide your end of life care for you. I don't want anyone deciding for me.
Anonymous 2019/10/29 18:11
I am a nurse and familiar with these requests unfortunately. This is a dialogue we need to have. Peoples rights need to be protected to decide their own fate. But a dialogue must happen so we can protect everyones right. From those wishing to end their suffering to those who's families may push them towards the end. This will not be a easy discussion and many people will be left unhappy with whatever is decided. But discuss this we must.
Anonymous 2019/10/16 22:22
More insanity caused by the (deservedly) dying and ever clinically insane Catholic Church. All freakishly "concerned" about fetuses and abortion, but not giving a hoot about unwanted children, women or in this case, people horribly dying of fatal diseases. <br /><br />All that, while ever-claiming that The (so-called One And Only) Church is the only "moral" force in the world, whilst 2,000 of its priests are now under prosecution (but being hidden whenever possible by the Church "Fathers") for pedophiliaworse AND — after 2,000 years of making its victims hate themselves (for being Basically Bad) and stealing their money (see untold Vatican riches), "The" Church continues to try to FORCE everyone else to "obey" their insane Sky-God "directives." <br /><br />If there is a "hell," the Catholic Church is the one entity surely destined to go there.

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