The doctor of Vincent Lambert, a quadriplegic Frenchman who has been in a vegetative state for more than 10 years, informed his family that his life support would be ended on Tuesday, according to Reuters, citing a family source.
His case has both torn apart his family and also been taken to the United Nations.
It came after the Court of Cassation, one of France’s four courts of last resort, on Friday overturned an appeal court ruling to continue treatment.
Lambert suffered serious injuries in a traffic accident in 2008, which left him in a state of complete dependency.
In 2013, his doctors began to stop treatment with the support of his wife.
But his Catholic parents, along with his half brother and sister have been in a legal fight with his wife over the withdrawal of treatment.
On Monday, Lambert’s mother brought her case to the United Nations, seeking diplomatic pressure to keep her son on life support.
In May, the court of appeal of Paris ordered treatment to be resumed after doctors had begun halting life support, further prolonging the legal battle.
The European Court for Human Rights had previously rejected the parents’ request to delay the decision of a French court to uphold the doctor’s plan to stop artificial nutrition and hydration.
A spokesperson at the CHU in Reims where Lambert is hospitalised told Euronews the hospital could not comment on sensitive medical information.
Lambert’s parents released photographs of their son but requested that his face be blurred by media — including the image used on this article.
