In France, the government is pushing an "end-of-life" law
Kyiv • UNN
The French government is pushing a bill to legalize assisted suicide for terminally ill patients under strict conditions.
A bill on the right to voluntary withdrawal from life is planned to be legalized in France. It is about giving sick French citizens the right to "ask for medical accompaniment when leaving life", but under strictly defined conditions. About this writes AFP and France Bleu, reports UNN.
Details
France is making a new attempt to legalize euthanasia by law. On Wednesday, the cabinet discussed a related legislative proposal in which assisted suicide should be allowed under strict conditions. The terms "euthanasia" and "assisted suicide" do not appear in the text.
The procedures for health care providers have not yet been spelled out in detail. But the government has determined that assisted suicide can only be provided if many conditions are met.
The patient must be of legal age and have French nationality or at least have lived in the country for a long time.
It is also specified that the patient must be of sound mind and memory and be able to fully express his or her wishes. Patients with Alzheimer's disease or other dementias are excluded.
The patient's suffering must be "untreatable" or "unbearable". It should be noted that the new text includes "psychological" and not only "physical" suffering, as was once stated in the previous version of the draft law.
If the person retains his or her choice, the physician must seek the opinion of at least two people: a specialist in the relevant pathology who does not know the patient and a non-physician who would preferably accompany the patient. The first physician will have 15 days to make a decision. The decision will be made by the doctor alone, without the "collegial" procedure announced by Emmanuel Macron in March.
Supplement
The association Dying with Dignity has welcomed the proposed legislation as "the first step towards a new law". The bishops' conference, which has previously accused the French government of "eye-washing", has appointed four bishops to represent the Catholic Church's position on the issue in a public debate.
Some seniors are so afraid of being a burden to others that they may say to themselves, "Maybe this is the way out
Recall
The Vatican's supreme doctrinal office published a declaration on human dignity that had been worked on for five years. The document condemned so-called moral violations, including gender ideology and surrogacy.