End of life: the bill is presented to the Council of Ministers this Wednesday

After a year of preparation, the executive branch has finally moved to implement the end-of-life bill. It will be presented to the Council of Ministers this Wednesday, opening up the possibility of assisted suicide under strict conditions. The text, “concerning support for the sick and the end of life,” represents a major social reform in the second five-year term of Emmanuel Macron, who has long been committed to changing legislation in this area. But some consider it too warm, while others consider it dangerous.

The executive branch risks stirring up strong ethical and religious differences over legalizing euthanasia and assisted suicide. Emmanuel Macron, who presented the outlines of the project in March, refuses to use these two terms, preferring the term “assisted dying.” However, it is about offering some patients the means to commit suicide and, when they are unable to make the fatal gesture, doing it for them.

” Balance “

However, the conditions will be very strict. According to the version seen by Agence France-Presse before the text was submitted to the Council of State at the end of March, which might have moved a little in the meantime, assistance in dying will be provided to adult patients born in or living in France. who have been in the country for a long time and are able to clearly express their will. You will also have to experience unbearable and incurable suffering, physical or psychological.

Finally, the life prognosis must be made for the short or medium term, and this formulation actually leaves a great deal of discretion to the caregivers. Because once the patient asks for help in committing suicide, the decision will be made by the doctor after the procedure, giving him up to 15 days. He will do this alone, but always after consultation with other educators.

According to Emmanuel Macron, these conditions allow for a “balancing”, creating a “French model” of the end of life. But this declared golden mean does not fully satisfy either opponents or supporters of the legalization of euthanasia or euthanasia.

Criticism from both sides

The former express strong opposition in the face of what they consider to be serious deviations. They are recruited from religious circles, but not only: they also include many caregivers, especially in the field of palliative care. In their opinion, we must first take care to develop this care, which is still not very accessible in France, to ensure that patients do not ask to die because they cannot find care adapted to their last days.

This topic will appear partially in the bill and, in parallel, a “ten-year strategy” for palliative care will be presented to the Council of Ministers. In particular, it is planned to gradually increase government spending in this area to 2.7 billion annually in 2034, compared to 1.6 billion currently.

Proponents of euthanasia are unhappy, but less aggressive. Jonathan Denis, president of the Association for the Right to Die with Dignity (ADMD), advocates, for example, “absolute freedom of choice” regarding how to end one’s life, as he explained to Le Parisien.

While they regret the overly restrictive terms, these supporters are nevertheless relieved to see the appearance of a text they feared would fall by the wayside. In fact, the executive branch spent time developing this project: the year was marked by numerous delays. And assisted suicide is still far from reality.

In fact, the text will begin to be considered by MPs at the end of May, marking the start of a lengthy parliamentary process that could take up to two years before the law is adopted in proper form. The deadline set by the manager. “For a text that raises such questions, we do not demand urgency,” Emmanuel Macron said in an interview last March.