I do not let the parents off the hook here. Naomi OLeary of Politico Europe, reported that Pothovens parents and doctors agreed not to force feed her when she refused to eat or drink. So, tubes removed.
The girl was seriously mentally ill and yet in the end, the parents allowed her to refuse both assisted nutrition and electro-convulsive. Bear in mind that ECT is NOT the horror from the 1950's which some imagine, but an often successful treatment for severe depression.
The parents' statement:
I understand your concern, but the girl was intubated and had been in life support for multiple organ failure since last Fall. What she did initially was outside of her parents control. She finally died right in their living room in a hospital bed connected to machines.
Pretty sad and awful thing to learn, but Im unsure of the point in trying to keep this story alive.