The Nice-based Member of Parliament, Marine Brenier, a member of the social committee of the National Assembly, submitted a bill last week on “active assistance in dying,” a euphemism for “euthanasia.”
Currently, the matter is governed by law texts, first in 2005 and then in 2016, introduced by Jean Léonetti, a physician by profession, which have evolved French practices on end-of-life care (development of palliative care, advance directives, deep sedation) but these measures are still considered insufficient by associations like the ADMD and many citizens, similar to what is being done in other European countries.
Already in 2014, 96% of the French population were in favor of euthanasia for people suffering from “intolerable and incurable diseases,” according to a survey commissioned by the ADMD. However, despite the Leonetti laws, this right to die “with dignity” has not been achieved.
In a statement, she condemns deep sedation, allowed by the Claeys-Leonetti law of 2016 – as a “hypocrisy of the legislation”: “how can one consider that letting a loved one pass away malnourished and dehydrated would respect their dignity?”
Marine Brenier proposes to make “active assistance in dying” accessible to adults, capable of expressing their will, and in certain places: a medical center, the headquarters of associations, and at home. “There are many elderly, terminally ill people affected by degenerative diseases who want to be able to leave from home but in a controlled manner with a medical team,” she explains.
If enacted, this law would allow many people to find their way back to French law. Indeed, just because assisted suicide is not allowed by law doesn’t mean that those who wish to use it do not find ways to do so.
One can already imagine the outcry that will follow the parliamentary path of this proposal.
But Marine Brenier is young and has time ahead of her!
