The “end of life” bill, which must be one of the biggest texts of Emmanuel Macron’s second five-year term, is presented to the Council of Ministers this Wednesday, April 10. If it is adopted by Parliament, it would change the law to unprecedented proportions. Today, French law only authorizes the cessation of care for cases deemed hopeless.
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Access to this “active assistance in dying” is strictly regulated in the version presented this Wednesday morning at the Élysée. In particular, five cumulative criteria are required: being of legal age, being French residing in France, having full judgment – that is to say, not suffering from neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, suffering from an incurable illness affecting one’s life. in the short or medium term and finally, suffer suffering that is impossible to relieve.
When these criteria are met, it is then necessary, after a favorable medical opinion given within 15 days, either a doctor, a nurse, a volunteer, or the patient themselves to administer a lethal product. The bill presented this morning must contain more precise provisions, in accordance with requests from the Council of State which read the very first version of the text.
Read alsoAssisted dying, euthanasia, assisted suicide… what are we talking about?
How can we define suffering, a vital prognosis committed in the short or medium term? How can we differentiate precisely between the fatal gesture performed either by a third party or by the patient himself? The parliamentary debate, which will soon begin, will have to decide what is technically and ethically feasible.
Absence of the terms “ euthanasia ” And “ assisted suicide »
Another choice of the government, which risks fueling discussions: never explicitly mention euthanasia or assisted suicide. However, even strictly supervised, this is indeed the case. For the sake of balance, the bill also provides for a strengthening of palliative care, renamed supportive care and inaccessible to one in two patients who need it.
At the start of the week, the Minister of Health, Catherine Vautrin, also unveiled a vast ten-year plan with more than 1 billion additional euros – the budget is currently 1.6 billion – in particular to provide specialized centers for the 21 French departments while lacking in 101.
The Prime Minister makes it a political issue
May 27 is the date chosen by the government for the debates in the hemicycle of the national assembly. We will then be 15 days away from the European elections.
If Emmanuel Macron preferred an examination to begin after the election, Gabriel Attal insisted on it being before. The Prime Minister seems to be banking on potentially beneficial media exposure at a time when the majority is seeking to garner votes on the left.
Read alsoEnd of life: Europe takes the splits
Legislative success, in the long term, would also be a strong societal marker to be credited to the young head of government, whose future in a context of relative majority is never truly certain. This choice of calendar also annoys the right-wing opposition, many of whom denounce “ political exploitation » of a very sensitive subject.
Debates planned to last
The end of life is probably the most intimate social subject. When he announced the outlines of the bill in Release And The cross at the beginning of March, President Macron asked the government to let “ the weather » to parliamentarians. As of this Wednesday afternoon, a special commission is set up at the National Assembly.
The Modem deputy, Olivier Falorni, a resolute and long-time defender of active assistance in dying, is expected to be the rapporteur. He says he is convinced that after work that can go “ up to 12 months “, ” a majority will emerge “. According to him, this debate “ overcomes divisions “. As is often the case on social issues, no political group should give voting instructions.
Outside Parliament, opponents will want to be heard
If 80% of French people are, according to polls, in favor of this active assistance in dying, a part of society is mobilized against it. In the lead, the Catholic Church is totally opposed to the project. The French bishops’ conference announced Wednesday the creation of a spokesperson dedicated to the end of life.
A significant portion of caregivers are also mobilized. Many of them refuse to consider the ” dead like a care “. These debates, outside the walls of Parliament, could therefore add a touch of uncertainty to the outcome of this legislative process which is only just beginning.
Read alsoEnd of life: developing palliative care to support patients