Alexina Wattiez wasn’t supposed to die like this. The 36-year-old Belgian woman was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2021. She deteriorated rapidly and was in so much pain that she asked for euthanasia.
On March 29 last year, her doctor, the two nurses who were looking after her, her partner, Christophe Stulens, and their 15-year-old daughter gathered in anticipation of a peaceful death. Stulens and the daughter were waiting outside while the doctor administered the lethal injection.
The facts are still obscure, but this much is known. Alexina’s partner and daughter heard her screaming. When they entered the room, she was dead, but it appears that the two nurses had smothered her with a pillow. The lethal dose had not been sufficient to kill her.
It appears that neither the nurses nor the doctor reported the failed euthanasia. But two days before the funeral, someone informed the public prosecutor’s office. A forensic pathologist examined the body and noticed traces of suffocation on the victim’s face.
Her family has demanded an investigation. “Could you imagine that your mother or your wife could end up suffocated by a cushion as part of her end of life? I think no one can conceive and imagine that,” says their lawyer, Maître Renaud Molders-Pierre.
Editor’s note. This appeared at BioEdge and is reposted with permission.
Daniel Miller is responsible for nearly all of National Right to Life News' political writing.
With the election of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency, Daniel Miller developed a deep obsession with U.S. politics that has never let go of the political scientist. Whether it's the election of Joe Biden, the midterm elections in Congress, the abortion rights debate in the Supreme Court or the mudslinging in the primaries - Daniel Miller is happy to stay up late for you.
Daniel was born and raised in New York. After living in China, working for a news agency and another stint at a major news network, he now lives in Arizona with his two daughters.
