Europe's human rights court began hearing arguments on Wednesday on whether a man in a vegetative state should be taken off life support. The case has torn his family apart and ignited a fierce euthanasia debate in France.

Vincent Lambert, 38, who was left severely brain damaged and quadriplegic after a 2008 road accident, has for months been at the center of a judicial tug-of-war over his right to die.

After fighting it out in French courts, his family hopes Europe's court will shed light on whether he should be kept alive, or allowed to die.