Olivier Falorni, MP for Charente-Maritime, will table a bill to prioritize the word of relatives in the event of a cessation of care.
The Vincent Lambert affair has become a symbol of the end-of-life debate in France. For the deputy Olivier Falorni, it is above all the “symptom of a legal flaw which must challenge the legislators”: that of the people who have not filed advance directives, nor designated a trusted person. The elected representative of Charente-Maritime will table a bill to prioritize the word of relatives in the event of a cessation of care.
Priority is given to the spouse
“What to do when there are no advance directives, no designated trusted person and a deep disagreement within the family?” Launched the MP for Charente-Maritime in the middle of the hemicycle, Wednesday May 21 . According to him, when the patient has not designated a trusted person, it is the one who shares his life who must play this role: husband, wife, partner or PACS partner. In the absence of this person, the decision rests with the adult children. If the person does not have one, it is up to the parents to decide. Finally, the order establishes the adult siblings as a last resort. In Belgium, a law prioritizing the speech of relatives already exists.
The deputy clarified during a press conference on Friday, May 24, that this hierarchy would only take place under specific conditions: “after the doctors, collectively, have determined a cessation of unreasonable care which artificially prolongs life . And only if no advance directive concerning the choice of his end of life has been taken”.
A law introduced in 2016
In France, the end of life is governed by the Claeys-Leonetti law which came into force in 2016. Any adult can write advance directives, kept in a national register, and appoint a trusted person, who will be the only one who can make account of his will.
The Vincent Lambert affair began in 2013, before the implementation of this law. The man was the victim of a serious road accident in 2008, he became quadriplegic. Five years later, the medical team suggested stopping food and hydration to his wife, who accepted. But the parents of Vincent Lambert oppose it and seize the administrative court of Châlons-en-Champagne. This is the beginning of a legal battle, which still lasts today.
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