Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne clarified the question posed to the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (Cese) responsible for guiding the debates on the end of life, in a letter obtained on Monday by AFP. The question is as follows: “Is the end-of-life support framework adapted to the different situations encountered or should any changes be introduced”?, according to an extract from this letter first published by The world. At the end of September, the Cese had initially reported a question relating to “different individual situations”. This last word was therefore not accepted.
A convention that starts on December 9
The citizens’ convention on the end of life, which must bring together a good hundred French people in order to guide the government on a possible new change in law, will begin its work on December 9 which will end in mid-March. Over the next few weeks, 150 French people will be drawn by lot to participate in the debates on the end of life, with a weighting according to sex, age, place of residence, profession and level of education. “It will be up to the Cese to “carry out other forms of citizen consultation if it deems it useful to shed light on this debate”, writes Ms. Borne. “Throughout this debate, consultations with stakeholders, in particular health and support professionals, will be led by the government,” she adds.
The first conclusions of these consultations will have to intervene “within a time allowing the citizens’ convention and the Cese to fully integrate them into their reflection”. The conclusions of the citizens’ convention collected by the Cese, which will be used to inform the government, “must be given to me by the end of March 2023”, further specifies the Prime Minister. Agnès Firmin Le Bodo, Minister Delegate, in charge of health professions and government spokesperson Olivier Véran, “will come back to the citizens participating as well as to the members of the Cese to inform them of the follow-up that will be given to their work. “, emphasizes Elisabeth Borne.
The end of life, a major societal reform of this five-year term?
President Emmanuel Macron, who plans to make the end of life the major societal reform of his second five-year term, revived the subject at the end of the summer. A national debate had been recommended in early September by the National Consultative Ethics Committee (CCNE), as opposed to a referendum. The Ethics Committee has also deemed it possible, in an opinion, to legalize “active assistance in dying” but under strict conditions.