After a meeting with the Ministry of Health, the French National Assembly is reviewing two proposals regarding end-of-life care. This includes a focus on palliative care and the legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide. There are a lot of suggested changes to consider, with 620 amendments for the palliative care proposal and 1,099 for the euthanasia one.
The committee started by discussing palliative care, but the topic of “aid in dying” was also on everyone’s mind. Christophe Bentz, a member of the National Rally party, proposed an amendment to prevent any lethal substances from being given as part of palliative care. He emphasized the principle that “the hand that heals cannot be the hand that kills.” This idea sparked a significant and ongoing debate.
Some committee members were upset that this amendment was even being considered. Annie Vidal, who is supportive of the proposal, argued that it muddles the issue. Philippe Vigier, another member, expressed concern about how this would be perceived by the public.
Agnès Firmin Le Bodo, from the Horizons & Independents party, suggested that the two proposals should work together. She pointed out that the amendment would mean banning patients from asking for help to die, which she believes is wrong. Bentz responded by acknowledging that this means lethal substances could be used in palliative care, which contradicts the idea of healing.
Later, Vidal admitted that there would need to be connections made between the two proposals. An amendment stating that there is no link between palliative care and assisted suicide was rejected.
As the discussion continued, unusual alliances formed among the committee members. Even though the topic is serious, the atmosphere was somewhat light-hearted at times, which Vidal noted was unexpected given the gravity of the subject.
With support from the left-wing France Insoumise party, Justine Gruet’s amendment was approved, requiring an annual report on the implementation of a ten-year strategy for care support, rather than a mid-term review. This report will also assess any extra funding needed.
The committee kept the idea of a “right to care” and adopted amendments to ensure it can be enforced. This means a family member or trusted person can take legal action to ensure the patient receives the necessary care.
As the night went on, the committee made some progress but decided to take a break to allow members to vote on a separate economic simplification bill. The discussion on palliative care will continue the next day.
This article has been translated and simplified by artificial intelligence from a French article “Fin de vie : deux textes distincts mais « des passerelles » à venir”
It may therefore contain errors. The French version is the reference version..