Following the announcement by Prime Minister François Bayrou of wanting to split in two the text of the law relating to support for the sick and the end of life, several associations, including that for the Right to Die with Dignity, are stepping up to the plate .
- Prime Minister François Bayrou wants the end-of-life bill to be split into two texts with palliative care on one side and assistance in dying on the other.
- For the ADMD, “this statement by the Prime Minister looks like a delaying tactic”. The association fears that by proceeding in this way, the second part of the bill concerning the end of life will end up being forgotten.
- As a reminder, this text has already been the subject of a parliamentary debate which was to end with a vote on June 18, but the dissolution of the National Assembly interrupted everything.
“Let’s not do a public service to cause death”, confided François Bayrou in an interview with Figaro in spring 2023. Unsurprisingly, the politician, now Prime Minister, does not intend to defend the end-of-life bill, or at least as it is presented. The latter asks that this project be split into two texts with on one side, palliative care, and on the other, assistance in dying. A choice widely criticized by defenders of a law on end-of-life freedom.
“Spiritual convictions before the general interest of the French”
“This statement from the Prime Minister looks like a delaying tactic”, affirms the association for the Right to Die with Dignity (ADMD) in a press release sent to the editorial staff. “On the one hand, because the Head of Government had indicated during his general policy declaration that he was referring the initiative for such a social issue to Parliament. We cannot one day absolve ourselves of all responsibility on such a fundamental issue and the next give instructions to Parliament, despite the separation of powers. Unless you want to introduce confusion into people’s minds…”, criticizes the association before continuing: “Then, because such a split requires rewriting two texts, even though there already exists a single text which has already, for a first part, received the validation of the deputies of the time and allowed a doubling of the credits granted to the palliative care; from 1.1 billion euros in the initial project to 2.2 billion euros after the vote on the corresponding article (article 1 septies). Discussing both aspects in the same text therefore obviously brings notable progress and creates synergies.” As a reminder, this text has already been the subject of a parliamentary debate which was to end with a vote on June 18, but the dissolution of the National Assembly interrupted everything.
According to the ADMD, François Bayrou passes his “spiritual convictions – not to write religious – before the general interest of the French”.
End of life bill: why not split the text in two?
“As we have demonstrated repeatedly, palliative care and euthanasia are perfectly compatible” or even complementary, indicate the authors of the press release. “It must be remembered that in Belgium palliative care is involved in 50% of euthanasia acts and that 5.5% of euthanasia acts are carried out within a palliative care unit. In Canada, 80% of recipients of medical assistance in dying had access to or were followed by palliative care”, they add.
Furthermore, the ADMD fears that by splitting the text in two, the second part concerning the end of life will end up forgotten. “Once a first piece of legislation on palliative care has been passed, there will no longer be any parliamentary space to discuss the end of life.”
Thus, with the other members of the “End of Life Progressive Pact”, the association sent an open letter to François Bayrou to ask “the resumption of work as quickly as possible, and the examination of a single bill which finally allows our deputies and senators to be able to continue the work started and vote on the necessary evolution of the law”.
