The introduction of euthanasia in France entered its final phase with the formal vote on the bill on Wednesday, February 25th.
This is the culmination of a long and chaotic process initiated by Emmanuel Macron himself when he was first elected president in 2017.
After multiple postponements and rewrites by both chambers, the version that was voted on reflects what is perhaps the most progressive vision ever implemented on this major issue.
All the efforts of a handful of right-wing and centrist MPs to try to put safeguards in place against this deadly rush forward have been reduced to nothing.
The latest version of the text confirms the adoption of the principle of assisted suicide as a reference, rather than ‘euthanasia’ in the strict sense: the amendment introduced by former Health Minister Frédéric Valletoux, making self-administration of the lethal substance the rule and assistance from a third party when the person is unable to do so the exception, was adopted by a large majority.
As a small consolation, a government amendment aimed at excluding “psychological suffering alone” from the scope of the law on assisted dying was approved by 159 votes to 130. An amendment creating an offence of “incitement to assisted dying” was widely adopted, but it provides for penalties that are half as severe for the offence of incitement as for the offence of obstruction.
The final vote on the bill was 299 in favor and 226 against, with an absolute majority set at 263 votes.
The accompanying bill on palliative care, on the other hand, was passed unanimously.
“This law is not mine,” Sébastien Lecornu told Emmanuel Macron when he was appointed prime minister. His fundamental opposition to this dramatic reform was to no avail, and his name will remain associated with a sinister political episode, fraught with the worst excesses. The Nursing and Medical Associations, the Academy of Medicine and leaders of all religions all voiced their opposition. In vain.
