Stated as one of Emmanuel Macron’s campaign objectives, the change to the euthanasia and assisted suicide regime in France has still not been finalised despite numerous announcements. In his greetings to representatives of religious denominations, the president once again put off the deadline and highlighted the need for a law on palliative care decoupled from that on euthanasia. The maximalist option seems to be receding.
On Monday, January 8th, Emmanuel Macron received religious representatives at the Élysée Palace for the traditional New Year’s greetings ceremony. On this occasion, he announced his intention to initiate two separate legislative processes, one for developing a palliative care plan by 2034, and the other, independent, on active assistance in dying. “I have decided to present the ten-year palliative care strategy first, in the coming weeks, before presenting the principle of a forthcoming law.” In so doing, he is responding to a request made by Christian and Jewish leaders. He did not announce any timetable for the euthanasia law.
For pro-euthanasia campaigners, this is an unacceptable step backward, as their intention was to obtain a single law uniting the issues of euthanasia and end-of-life support. Pro-life associations denounced this dangerous amalgamation: palliative care and active assistance in dying are not part of the same mentality and putting them together in a legislative project would inevitably have led to palliative care being sidelined in favour of euthanasia. Surprisingly, Emmanuel Macron seems to be taking a cautious approach, even though just a few months ago he was pushing for an ambitious reform of euthanasia inspired by Belgian legislation. But he has clearly shown hesitation before taking action on a subject with major anthropological and philosophical implications.
Pro-euthanasia campaigners see the President’s decision as an unacceptable concession to religious dignitaries. “Once again, Emmanuel Macron has given in to the religious representatives and opponents of euthanasia”, exclaimed Jonathan Denis, President of the Association for the Right to Die with Dignity, France’s main pro-euthanasia lobby, on X.
Emmanuel Macron also announced his intention to consult religious leaders again before drafting the second bill on active assistance in dying.
