Pensioners convicted of manslaughter: wife suffocates with pillows!

Pensioners convicted of manslaughter: wife suffocates with pillows!

An 85-year-old pensioner was sentenced to a probation penalty of two years at the Mühlhausen district court for manslaughter. In January 2022, the man suffocated his 82-year-old chronically ill and bedridden wife with a pillow that night. As the FAZ had called the police immediately and explained that he wanted to "redeem" his wife. The tragedy of the case raises fundamental questions about euthanasia, especially in a legal environment that turns out to be difficult in Germany.

The public prosecutor demanded a prison sentence of three and a half years, but advocated homicide in a minor case. The court decided that the thought of euthanasia was not sustainable because the wife had never expressed the wish to divide out of life. Chair of judge Gerhild Jumpertz emphasized that the ban on killing is absolutely absolutely and that a person's life should not be assessed.

legal aspects of euthanasia

The situation around euthanasia in Germany is complicated and is regularly accompanied by legal and ethical debates. Section 217 of the Criminal Code, which is punished for business euthanasia, was regarded by the Federal Constitutional Court as a non -Basic Law. Nevertheless, active euthanasia remains prohibited, according to § 216 StGB it can be punished with a prison sentence of six months to five years, explains the lawyer.org .

The paragraph differentiates between different forms of euthanasia. Passive euthanasia, such as the waiver of life -prolonging measures by a living will, is permitted under certain conditions. Indirect euthanasia in which pain -relieving medication are used that may shorten life is also permitted. Nevertheless, business organizations of euthanasia remain prohibited in Germany, while active euthanasia is allowed in countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands or Luxembourg.

social perspectives

The tragedy of this case shows the emotional and social complexity that circles the subject of euthanasia. Despite increasing life expectancy, there are diseases that cause great suffering. The case of the pensioner perpetrator also raises the question of the extent to which relatives are allowed to act in such extreme situations and how the legal system should react. Critics criticize the existing legal uncertainty and the unclear liability of doctors who act in the context of euthanasia

The pensioner who lived his wife until her illness severely restricted her showed no signs of repentance in the reasoning and received a suspended sentence due to his old age, confession and a lack of criminal records. The judge pointed out that the crime was legally very close to the murder, but decided on homicide due to the circumstances. In the meantime there was a time contemporary time for the political and social discussion about euthanasia, which still remains a explosive topic in Germany.