President Emmanuel Macron has announced a historic new law to legalise “aid-in-dying” in France, which will allow adults facing an end-of-life illness to take lethal drugs, Independent reports.
In an interview published by French newspapers La Croix and Liberation, Macron said the new bill would only apply to adults suffering from a terminal illness whose death is expected in the “short or medium term” and who are in “unbearable” physical or psychological pain.
The move follows a report last year that a majority of French people support legalising end-of-life options.
Macron said the law would offer “a possible path, in a certain situation, with precise criteria, where a medical decision plays a role”. He cited the example of people with terminal cancer, some of whom have so far travelled abroad to end their lives.
The president clarified that only people aged 18 and above who are capable of forming their own opinions will be allowed to participate in the process, meaning those suffering from severe mental illness and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease will not be eligible.
Patients wishing to take part in the process will have to confirm their choice in 48 hours, after which they should receive a response from the medical team within a maximum of two weeks, Macron said. The doctor will then issue a prescription for the lethal drug, valid for three months. People will be able to take the drug at home, in a nursing home or in a medical facility. If their physical condition prevents them from doing it themselves, they would be allowed to seek help from someone of their choice, 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 patients willingly taking a lethal drink or drug prescribed by a doctor for those who meet certain criteria. Euthanasia involves doctors or other medical professionals giving patients who meet certain criteria a lethal injection at their own request.
Macron did not give a date for the law to take effect, saying it would first require a months-long legislative process that would begin in May.
The 2016 French law stipulates that doctors can keep terminally ill patients under sedation until death occurs, but does not authorise assisted suicide or euthanasia.
Some French patients are travelling to other European countries to find other options. Assisted suicide is allowed in neighbouring Switzerland and also in Portugal. Euthanasia is allowed under certain conditions in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Spain.
