Jacques Serais // Quentin De Groeve / Hans Lucas via AFP
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12:47 p.m., March 19, 2024
The end-of-life bill will be presented during the month of April to the Council of Ministers. In the meantime, this must be the subject of a discussion within the presidential majority this Tuesday, March 19 in the National Assembly. The majority is, however, far from being united on this sensitive subject.
The majority deputies do not speak of a single path on the end of life, as if Emmanuel Macron’s procrastination had sowed trouble. It is in the face of this torn presidential majority that Catherine Vautrin, Minister of Labor, Health and Solidarity, sits this Tuesday morning, while the Renaissance elected officials must discuss the text of the law in the National Assembly.
“Reassure each other”
On the one hand, some defend the President’s approach tooth and nail, or even wish to go even further, by addressing the issue of assisted suicide for minors. Olivier Falorni, considered for the position of rapporteur, advocates the legalization of euthanasia. On the other hand, parliamentarians do not hesitate to express their reluctance, or even their embarrassment, regarding this bill.
“The minister is aware of the questions” concedes one of her close friends. Its objective is to “reassure everyone”. But her conviction seems ready-made: Catherine Vautrin “is on the President’s line” assures those around her. By this logic, parliamentary work could take a long time. A majority official estimates that the parliamentary process of this text should last at least 18 months, or even two years.