The man who helped his wife to commit suicide | In fact …

Something more than two decades after the case of Ramón Sampedro, who had been discussing euthanasia in Spain, dignified death is again a topic of discussion when the case of Angel Hernández, a man who helped his wife with multiple sclerosis died. . María José Carrasco ingested sodium pentobarbital provided by her husband. A few hours earlier, they had recorded a video in which she reaffirmed her desire to die.

"We are going to record this testimony because it is very important that we register the desire that you wish to be realized what is … your suicide", begins the video. When filming, he asks her if she is sure of his decision. "The sooner the better," says the 61-year-old woman, prostrate by a disease that has burned her over the last three decades. After confiding the mixture to his wife, Hernandez called the doctors and self-incriminated. "He always said that he was not going to do it secretly, that he wanted to shed light on the issue," said his lawyer.

Hernandez was arrested, he said, and released after spending the night in a Madrid police station. He left without the prosecution having interim measures. Spanish public opinion has shown almost unanimous support to the man. Six months ago, Carrasco gave El País in Madrid an interview in which he expressed his desire to die and his concern for his husband was helping him.

According to the Spanish Penal Code, Hernández would be liable to a fine of six months to a year. This is the first time that someone who helps someone to die is exposed in Spain. The case of Ramón Sampedro caused a commotion, but it has not been known for years that provided the glbad of cyanide that the quadriplegic 55 years swallowed in front of a camera that recorded his death. He was taken to the cinema in 2004 in Mar adentro by Alejandro Amenábar.

More than twenty years ago, Hernandez found that his wife was dying after a suicide attempt and had prevented it. Later, he promised to help realize his wish. Meanwhile, the debate on the law on euthanasia that prompted the PSOE is blocked. The NGO Right to Die Dignamente today asked deputies elected on April 28 to "regulate and immediately decriminalize euthanasia".