Chantal Sébire (28 January 1955 – 19 March 2008) was a retired French teacher who suffered from
esthesioneuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer, and fought for the right to die through
euthanasia
Euthanasia (from : + ) is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering.
Different countries have different Legality of euthanasia, euthanasia laws. The British House of Lords Select committee (United Kingdom), se ...
.
Background
Chantal lived in
Plombières-lès-Dijon, near
Dijon
Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...
,
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, and was the mother of three children. In 2000, she was diagnosed with
esthesioneuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer that affects the inside lining of the nose.
Chantal refused any treatment at the time of her diagnosis, not wishing to take the risk of the surgery or medications, stating "drugs are chemicals, chemicals are poison, and I won't make matters worse by poisoning myself."
With time, the cancer burrowed through her sinuses, nasal cavities, and eye socket, leaving her face severely
disfigured. She also lost her senses of sight, taste, and smell
and suffered severe pain. During the course of the disease she had developed an allergy against
morphine
Morphine, formerly also called morphia, is an opiate that is found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin produced by drying the latex of opium poppies (''Papaver somniferum''). It is mainly used as an analgesic (pain medication). There are ...
and treated the pain with
aspirin
Aspirin () is the genericized trademark for acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to reduce pain, fever, and inflammation, and as an antithrombotic. Specific inflammatory conditions that aspirin is ...
.
Chantal first gained recognition in February 2008, after a TV interview, when she made a public appeal to the French president,
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa ( ; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. In 2021, he was found guilty of having tried to bribe a judge in 2014 to obtain information ...
, to allow her to die through
euthanasia
Euthanasia (from : + ) is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering.
Different countries have different Legality of euthanasia, euthanasia laws. The British House of Lords Select committee (United Kingdom), se ...
, stating that "One would not allow an animal to go through what I have endured."
On 17 March 2008, she lost her case in a French court, with the magistrate noting that while French law does allow for the removal of life-support equipment for terminally ill patients, it does not allow a doctor to take action to end a patient's life. After the decision, Chantal said "I now know how to get my hands on what I need, and if I don't get it in France, I will get it elsewhere".
Two days later, on 19 March 2008, she was found dead in her home.
An autopsy conducted on 21 March 2008 concluded that she did not die of natural causes. Subsequent blood tests revealed a toxic concentration of the drug
pentobarbital
Pentobarbital (US) or pentobarbitone (British and Australian) is a short-acting barbiturate typically used as a sedative, a preanesthetic, and to control convulsions in emergencies. It can also be used for short-term treatment of insomnia but ...
, a
barbiturate
Barbiturates are a class of depressant, depressant drugs that are chemically derived from barbituric acid. They are effective when used medication, medically as anxiolytics, hypnotics, and anticonvulsants, but have physical and psychological a ...
that is not available in French pharmacies but is used elsewhere in the world for the purpose of
physician assisted suicide.
Chantal's death revived the debate over
euthanasia
Euthanasia (from : + ) is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering.
Different countries have different Legality of euthanasia, euthanasia laws. The British House of Lords Select committee (United Kingdom), se ...
in France and elsewhere around the world.
Several samples stored in the hospital of Dijon went missing. The prosecution closed the case in March 2009, as the source of the barbiturate used for the suicide could not be determined.
See also
*
Diane Pretty
Diane Pretty (15 November 1958 – 11 May 2002) was a British woman from Luton who was the focus of a debate about the laws of euthanasia in the United Kingdom during the early part of the 21st century. She had attempted to change British law so s ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sebire, Chantal
1955 births
2008 deaths
Deaths by euthanasia
Drug-related suicides in France
Place of birth unknown
Euthanasia activists