Facebook Blocks Terminally ill Frenchman’s Wish to Livestream his Own Death

Facebook has confirmed it would block a terminally ill Frenchman from live-streaming his death on the social media platform on Saturday.

The social media platform’s announcement followed Alain Cocq saying that he would livestream his death in protest after President Emmanuel Macron turned down his request for euthanasia in a right-to-die case. Earlier, Cocq had announced that he will refuse all treatment from now on and will not accept food or drink.

Cocq, 57, who suffers from a very rare and painful condition where the walls of the arteries stick together, said on Friday that he believed he had less than a week to live and would livestream his death on Facebook from Saturday morning. He went on to say that he’s been in the terminal stage of his illness for the last 34 years. President Macron had been sent a letter by Cocq asking to be given medicine that would allow him to die in peace but the president replied explaining this was not allowed under French law.

Probably the first country that comes to mind in relation to assisted dying, Switzerland allows physician-assisted suicide without a minimum age requirement, diagnosis or symptom state. Contrary to popular belief, Euthanasia is not legal in Switzerland.

However, assisted suicide is deemed illegal if the motivations are “selfish” – for example, if someone assisting the death stands to inherit earlier, or if they don’t want the burden of caring for a sick person.