New Delhi: A woman in Belgium, who killed her five children 16 years ago, has been euthanised at her own request, as reported by BBC. The law in Belgium allows people to choose to euthanise if they are considered to be suffering from “unbearable” psychological suffering that cannot be healed.
Genevieve Lhermitte murdered her four daughters and a son aged between 3 to 14 on February 28, 2007, in the town of Nivelles while their father was away, as reported by BBC. After killing her children, she tried to take her own life but failed. She ended up calling emergency services for help.
Lhermitte, 56, was sentenced to life in prison in 2008. She was moved to a psychiatric hospital in 2019. The person who has requested to be euthanised, must be conscious of their decision and be able to express their wish in a consistent manner, BBC reported. Lhermitte likely chose to die on 28 February in a "symbolic gesture in respect for her children", Psychologist Emilie Maroit told the RTL-TVI channel. "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.
According to BBC, 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. "It is this specific procedure that Mrs Lhermitte followed, with the various medical opinions having been collected," her lawyer said, as quoted by BBC.
Lhermitte filed a civil lawsuit in 2010 and demanded up to three million euros (£2,655,840) from a former psychiatrist. She had claimed "inaction" failed to prevent the killings. However, she abandoned the lawsuit after a decade. Since 2014, Belgium has allowed helping children and adults to die, if they are terminally ill and in great pain with the consent of their parents.