On Saturday night, after voting on Article 3, the lawmakers began discussing the criteria for accessing “assisted dying.”
One major point of debate was about the language used. Some representatives, like Christophe Bentz from the National Rally, argued that how things are worded matters. Justine Gruet from the Republican Right suggested that since euthanasia has become rare again, it would be better to call it assisted suicide. However, these suggestions were rejected, just like earlier amendments.
As the discussion moved to Article 4, Annie Vidal proposed an amendment to clarify that the term “assisted dying” should include “active” assistance, saying that the current wording is vague. The general rapporteur, Olivier Falorni, sarcastically noted that he would keep track of how many semantic amendments he would oppose, highlighting the repeated nature of such discussions.
Another issue raised was the lack of clear data about how many people might seek assisted dying if the law passes. Charles Sitzenstuhl asked the health minister, Catherine Vautrin, for statistics on this but did not receive an answer.
An amendment by Océane Godard aimed to ensure patients receive clear information about assisted dying. She also promised to support another amendment that would make it a crime to encourage someone to seek assisted dying. However, this proposal had already been rejected by a committee.
As the lawmakers continued through Article 4, there were increasing calls for careful consideration of the criteria for assisted dying. Gaëtan Dussausaye, who supports assisted dying, warned that changing certain criteria could affect how many lawmakers would vote in favor of the bill.
Hadrien Clouet argued that the criteria are already too strict and may become even stricter based on recent medical advice. In contrast, Patrick Hetzel pointed out major flaws in the criteria, saying they could lead to patients with treatable mental illnesses being eligible for assisted dying, which goes against suicide prevention ethics.
There were discussions about amendments to remove Article 4 entirely, with Dominique Potier highlighting growing concerns over protecting vulnerable people. Some lawmakers warned that this legislation could lead to future expansions of assisted dying laws, including for minors, which they found alarming.
Vincent Trébuchet emphasized that countries with strict initial criteria often expanded them over time, changing societal views. Christophe Bentz added that once the laws are loosened, they are unlikely to be tightened again.
As the debates continued, Philippe Juvin raised concerns about patients who rely on treatments like dialysis, questioning how they would fit into the criteria for assisted dying. Vautrin defended the proposal by saying it only applied to those without treatment options, but Juvin argued that having treatment doesn’t mean a patient is cured.
The discussions became heated, with Justine Gruet expressing frustration over her colleagues’ intolerance to opposing views.
Several amendments were proposed to ensure that a person could only access assisted dying if they had guaranteed access to appropriate treatments and palliative care. Philippe Juvin argued that for consent to be genuinely free, there should be no pressure, including lack of access to necessary treatment.
Lastly, there were discussions about age limits for accessing assisted dying. Elise Leboucher proposed allowing emancipated minors to seek assisted dying, which was rejected. Thibault Bazin reminded the assembly that no country has allowed assisted dying for minors right away and suggested that such discussions would come later.
Ultimately, despite many proposed changes, the amendments were rejected. The session ended with plans to continue discussing the bill the following Monday.
This article has been translated and simplified by artificial intelligence from a French article “Les députés examinent les critères d’accès à l’« aide à mourir » : « Ce qui m’inquiète, c’est que depuis le début de nos débats vous n’avez aucune incertitude »”
It may therefore contain errors. The French version is the reference version..