Frenchman Alain Cocq, who is suffering an incurable condition, has pledged to live stream his own death - after French President Emmanuel Macron refused his request for euthanasia.
Euthanasia is currently prohibited in France as it is in many countries. However there is constant debate about whether those who do suffer from terminal illnesses and conditions should be allowed to end their own life, with advocates for euthanasia arguing that it isn't right that they should be forced to live in pain.
Cocq suffers from a rare condition where the walls of the arteries stick together and has been confined to a medical bed in Dijon, France for some years.
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He wrote to Macron to ask to be able to take a substance that would allow him to die peacefully. The French leader replied personally but refused the request, stating that it would break the country's law.
Now, Cocq is to refuse all treatment, food and drink and expects to die in four to five days, which he plans to stream.
"Because I am not above the law, I am not able to comply with your request," Macron reportedly said in a letter to Cocq, which the patient has published on his Facebook page.
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"I cannot ask anyone to go beyond our current legal framework... Your wish is to request active assistance in dying which is not currently permitted in our country," the President continued.
Subsequently Cocq feels that he has no choice but to broadcast the end of his life, in order to raise awareness of those terminally-ill patients in France who are not allowed to choose when they can die.
The stream will show the 'agony' of Cocq's current state, and he hopes his struggle will be remembered and 'go down in the long term' as a step towards changing the law.
For his part, Macron recognised the sacrifice Cocq was making, writing 'with emotion, I respect your action'. He also hand wrote at the end of the typed out letter saying 'With all my personal support and profound respect'.
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Legal battles over right-to-die cases aren't new in France. One of the most notable involved Vincent Lambert, who had been in a vegetative state since being involved in a road accident in 2008.
With his parents battling in court to keep him alive, but his wife and nephew wishing to see him pass away, he died last year after his life support machine was switched off.
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