NOTWe call on the Council of Ministers, as it prepares to examine the bill relating to support for the sick and the end of life, to question the French model of the end of life which will be presented to it, with regard to the values of our Republic.
For many years, the French have been calling for a law so that people suffering from serious and incurable illnesses can have freedom of choice, without constraint and in strict compliance with their wishes. A freedom that will allow them to reconcile the intimate and the ultimate. French laws have gradually advanced respect for the words of patients, by providing for the freedom to refuse care, the prohibition of unreasonable obstinacy, the designation of a person of confidence and the establishment of directives anticipated.
The bill which will be presented to the Council of Ministers on Wednesday April 10 should allow for better consideration of each situation. After the announcement of a serious and incurable illness, the appointment planned between the sick person and their doctor must allow the establishment of support care adapted to each person, both in view of their care needs. for their physical, psychological or social comfort while respecting their choices.
This bill must also allow an ultimate freedom: that of being able to request assistance in dying for the person whose suffering becomes unbearable. We ask that the text legalizes assisted suicide and euthanasia to allow everyone to make this choice. So that the opinion of health professionals is also respected, a conscience clause is absolutely necessary. The act of accompanying people in death will always remain a singular act that cannot be imposed: healthcare professionals must be able to refuse an act that they consider contrary to their personal ethics.
Let no one be excluded
We campaign so that people suffering from a serious and incurable pathology are treated equally. To achieve this, it is necessary to develop supportive care, including palliative care, so that everyone, regardless of where they live, can have access to it. Assistance in dying is an integral part of supportive care.
We are campaigning so that no one is excluded from the French model of end-of-life support. The bill provides that, to request assistance in dying, you must be capable of discernment, have a vital prognosis in the short or medium term and experience suffering that is refractory to treatment. This effectively excludes people with neurodegenerative or rare diseases. For them, it will either be too early – their vital prognosis will then not be in jeopardy – or too late – they will then no longer be capable of discernment, the disease leading to cognitive deficits. Why this exclusion, contrary to the universalist values of our Republic?
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