After unsuccessfully attempting to take her own life and seeking emergency help, the 56-year-old woman was sentenced to life in prison in 2008 for murdering her five children in Belgium. In 2019, she was moved to a psychiatric hospital. In Belgium, the law permits individuals suffering from “unbearable” psychological suffering, which cannot be cured, to choose euthanasia. To qualify for euthanasia, the individual must be aware of their decision and able to express it in a rational and consistent manner. The woman’s lawyer stated that she followed the necessary protocol, including obtaining multiple medical opinions, to undergo the procedure.
Psychologist Emilie Maroit told the RTL-TVI channel that Lhermitte likely chose to die on 28 February in a “symbolic gesture in respect for her children”.
“It may also have been for her to finish what she started, because basically she wanted to end her life when she killed them,” the psychologist said.
The quintuple murders in 2007, and the subsequent trial, rocked Belgium.
During the trial Lhermitte’s lawyers argued she was mentally disturbed and should not be sent to prison. But the jury found her guilty of premeditated murder and sentenced her to life in jail.
Lhermitte had filed a civil lawsuit in 2010 against a former psychiatrist, seeking up to €3 million (£2,655,840) for his alleged “inaction” in preventing her from murdering her children, but she abandoned the legal battle after a decade. In 2022, Belgium recorded 2,966 cases of euthanasia, a 10% increase from the previous year, with cancer remaining the most common reason. Officials reported that nearly three-quarters of the cases involved patients suffering from both physical and psychological pain. Since 2014, Belgium has permitted the euthanasia of terminally ill children with parental consent, in addition to adults.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64835051