The National Assembly voted on the bill on the end of life, establishing assisted dying in France, but the parliamentarians refused to allow the lethal product to be administered by a relative to the patient.
- The parliamentarians adopted Article 5, which therefore establishes assisted dying in France, by 88 votes to 50.
- But, against government advice, they removed the possibility of a relative administering the lethal substance.
- In Article 6, the requirement that the patient’s vital prognosis be engaged “in the short or medium term” has been replaced by the notion of “advanced or terminal phase”.
This Thursday, June 6, the National Assembly voted on the bill on the end of life, but the administration of the lethal substance to the patient was reduced to health professionals and now excludes relatives.
The relative will not be able to administer the lethal substance to the patient
The initial version of Article 5 of the bill stated: “to allow […] a person […] to use a lethal substance, […] so that she can administer it to herself or, when she is physically unable to do so, have it administered to her by a doctor, nurse or adult designated by her.”
During the vote, the parliamentarians adopted article 5, which therefore establishes assisted dying in France, by 88 votes to 50. But, against the advice of the government, they removed the possibility of a relative administering the lethal substance. by one vote (43 to 42). The opponents of this point mainly argued during the debates that this type of gesture could be too heavy for families to bear later.
Conditions of access to assisted death
The deputies also voted on the conditions for access to assisted dying. These are listed in Article 6 of the bill: you must be 18 years old, of French nationality and resident in France, suffer from a serious and incurable condition, in an advanced or terminal phase, which is life-threatening, which causes physical or psychological suffering, either resistant to treatment or unbearable.
The National Assembly has therefore replaced the notion of prognosis vital engaged”in the short or medium term“by that of”advanced or terminal phase“. A change with which Catherine VautrinMinister of Labor, Health and Solidarity, and the Academy of Medicine do not agree. They want the mention “short or medium term” be re-instated in the text.
The Council of State, in a notice of April 4l, had supported these terms by indicating a duration for the medium term: “This expression can only be understood in the sense used by medical practice, for which it corresponds to a time horizon which does not exceed twelve months.”
And that’s the whole problem. As it stands, Catherine Vautrin fears that the notion of “advanced or terminal phase“is not sufficiently restrictive and that people who could still live a few years use assisted dying.
But the law Project And, in finethe final text could still evolve in the coming months, as it is only at the beginning of the legislative procedure.
