This Friday, August 5, 2016, the Claeys-Leonetti law (voted on February 2, 2016) concerning the rights of persons in end of life entered into force: two decrees and one decree were published in the Official Journal.
“Desired by the President of the Republic, at length and widely agreed, the measures which come into force today represent a fundamental step forward. They constitute, on such an intimate subject, the point of balance which unites the most widely in French society, ”commented Minister of Health Marisol Touraine in a press release.
Concretely, each person will now have the possibility of putting in place “advance directives” concerning his end of life. Clearly, this is an administrative document that allows “instructions” to be given to the nursing staff: the writer must indicate whether or not he wants the doctors to keep him artificially alive, whether or not to continue. medical treatment, if he wants to benefit from a ” deep sedation and continue ”until his death…
“Instructions” for the end of life
Once signed, this form can be given to any doctor, to the staff of a retirement home or to someone you trust. In addition, advance directives can be written by a third party in front of two witnesses, if the person concerned is physically unable to write them himself.
Advance directives already existed before the Claeys-Leonetti law. However, until now, they were only advisory: henceforth, practitioners will have the obligation to apply them – except in exceptional cases, framed by law. In addition, while, until now, they had to be renewed every 3 years, from now on, they no longer have a time limit.
Two model forms have been planned: for healthy people and for people who are already seriously ill. In order to make this system better known, the Ministry of Health announced an information campaign at the end of 2016.
