In the government, we allow ourselves a certain “polyphony” from the appointment as Prime Minister of François Bayrou. This freedom of expression is in fact that the question of the end of life returns to the hemicycle of the National Assembly as of Monday, May 12 through two different texts.
The test with the interview with Catherine Vautrin at BFMTV-RMC. The Minister of Health responds directly to his colleague from the inside of Bruno Retilleau that opposes the creation of help to die, a much less consensual device than the strengthening of the palliative care provided in the first text.
To the head of the Beauvau place that speaks with the Sunday newspaper of a “deeply unbalanced” text message, Catherine Vautrin replies: “I believe exactly the opposite.”
“The people inhabited daily when suffering”
The one that will represent the government in the assembly during the specific debates:
“Everything that guides me from the first day of this text is the support of the sick at the end of their life. We are talking about people whose situation is irreversible, who are inhabited daily by suffering.”
And the minister to insist:
“Do we have the right to say that we are not interested in these issues? In this case, a certain number of our fellow citizens, those who have the media, those who can choose to go to Belgium, Luxembourg. Is that the answer of the Republic?”
Vautrin wants to “complete” this text
The text on the creation of an aid to die provides several criteria. The patient must be of legal age, of French nationality, “capable of expressing his will in a free and enlightened way”, which suffers a “serious and incurable affection” that “commits the vital prognosis in the advanced or terminal phase” and that no longer supports its suffering.
Catherine Vautrin specified in an interview with El Parisino on Sunday to “complete” the text deposited by Deputy Olivier Falorni (Modem) to supervise him more and make sure that “access to help die is very supervised.”
“The Government will deposit an amendment to define the” advanced phase “, namely, the entry into an irreversible process marked by the worsening of the state of health that affects the quality of life,” he explained.
As “discernment is absolutely important,” Catherine Vautrin will also deposit “on behalf of the Government an amendment to restore the period of incompressible reflection of 48 hours from the doctors agreement.”
In the injection of the product, “the patient must administer the lethal substance, this must be the rule” and “the realization of a health professional will be the exception, even if there will always be the presence of a caregiver in case of self -administering,” he insisted on the minister.
The other text, which in palliative care provides the creation of a “enforceable right”, while according to a report by the July 2023 Court, only half of the needs were provided.
At the same time, the State will invest “100 million euros more per year for ten years and better training professionals,” Catherine Vautrin recalled.
The deputies will discuss the proposals at the end of life for two weeks, including weekends if necessary, before a solemn vote scheduled for May 27.
After committing in 2022 to trust a reflection on the subject to a citizen convention, Emmanuel Macron had presented in March 2024 the main lines of a bill at the end of life. But the dissolution of the National Assembly stopped its exam. Subject to a strong pressure from the deputies, François Bayrou put the book on the profession, but writing the bill in two.
Source: BFM TV
