End of life: Pope’s visit to Marseille postpones presentation of bill

Program change. The presentation of the bill on “active assistance in dying”, planned for the end of summer according to the government, has been postponed for several days due to the next visit of Pope Francis to Marseille, Le Figaro and France info indicate this Friday.

According to Le Figaro, the text was due to be presented on September 21. But this date falls just before Pope Francis’ visit to Marseille, scheduled for September 22 and 23.

The 86-year-old pope is expected in Marseille to conclude the Mediterranean Meetings, a series of conferences bringing together representatives of several religions and “movements dedicated to ecology and dialogue,” organizers say.

The project has been postponed until the end of September

The head of the Catholic Church, who openly opposes the legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide, will also meet with President Emmanuel Macron on September 22. The reason why the Ministry of Health will present its bill on this issue between September 26 and 28, reports Le Figaro.

In April, the president announced that he wants to pass an active assisted dying bill by the end of summer 2023. In its work, the government relied, in particular, on the report developed by the citizens’ congress on the end of life, compiled from 184 citizens randomly selected.

This bill must be presented by Agnès Firmin Le Baudot, minister delegate responsible for territorial organization and health, who is leading the case. It will include “three components,” she detailed in August to France Info: one on “palliative care,” one on “personal rights and patient support” and one on “active assistance in dying.”