PARIS (AP) – French President Emmanuel Macron has announced a new bill that would legalize “assisted dying,” which allows adults facing a terminal illness to take lethal drugs. This is the first of its kind in the country.
The move follows a report last year that showed most French citizens support legalizing end-of-life options.
In an interview published Monday by French newspapers La Croix and Libération, President Macron said the new bill would target adults suffering from incurable diseases who are expected to die in the “short or medium term” and adults with “incurable” physical disabilities. He said it would be limited. or emotional distress.
President Macron said the law provides “a possible path in circumstances where medical judgment plays its role and is determined on the basis of precise criteria.”
He gave the example of terminal cancer patients, some of whom have gone abroad to end their lives.
President Macron pointed out that only people over the age of 18 who can form their own opinions will be allowed to participate in the process, and people with severe mental illness or neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease will not be eligible.
Euthanasia for terminally ill patients becomes legal in the Netherlands https://t.co/tVGAnstWIP
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) April 17, 2023
Macron said patients who wish to take part in the process will have to reconfirm their choice after 48 hours and should then receive an answer from their medical team within up to two weeks. The doctor then issues her a prescription for a lethal drug with a three-month expiration date.
Mr Macron said people would be able to take the drug at home, in nursing homes and health facilities.
If your condition prevents you from doing it alone, you can get help from someone you choose, or a doctor or nurse.
Macron said the new bill would refer to “assisted dying because it is simple and humane”, rather than terms such as euthanasia or medically assisted suicide.
Medically assisted suicide involves a patient voluntarily ingesting a lethal drink or drug prescribed by a doctor to someone who meets certain criteria. Euthanasia involves a doctor or other health care worker administering a lethal injection to a patient who meets certain criteria at their request.
Macron did not set an effective date for the bill, saying it must first follow a months-long legislative process starting in May.
A 2016 French law allows doctors to sedate terminally ill patients before death, but does not allow assisted suicide or euthanasia.
Some French patients travel to other European countries for further options. Neighboring countries Switzerland and Portugal also allow assisted suicide. Euthanasia is currently legal in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Spain under certain conditions.
Former Dutch prime minister and his wife die together in double euthanasia procedurehttps://t.co/Mq3qd6mrpG
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) February 11, 2024
