Tuesday 26 November 2013

Is there such a thing as a romantic suicide?

The striking double suicide of an 86-year-old couple in Paris's luxury Lutetia Hotel may suddenly reignite the debate over euthanasia in France.
Georgette and Bernard Cazes took their own lives on Thursday evening, shortly after checking into the four-star hotel in the upscale Saint-Germain district, Le Parisien newspaper revealed.
They were found on Friday morning lying peacefully on the room’s bed, holding hands. They were wearing plastic bags over their heads, and none of the contents of the room had been disturbed.
The startling discovery was made by an employee who brought them room service breakfast, as per the couple’s request the previous day. The order was made so that “their bodies would be discovered quickly,” the French daily surmised.
Two documents were left behind by the ageing couple: one letter for family and one addressed to French legal authorities “demanding the right to die in a dignified manner”, according to sources cited by Le Parisien.
Val says News 24 headlines this as a "romantic suicide" an odd choice of words. I just think it sad that a couple who wanted to go together had to resort to putting plastic bags over their heads.
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