SW News: President Emmanuel Macron has called on the government and parliament to create a ‘French model on end-of-life’ by the end of summer.
Furthermore, the president urged the lawmakers to collaborate on crafting a measure on end-of-life care that addresses the prospect of assisted suicide before the end of the summer.
With this, France will be the next European country to legalize euthanasia for the terminally ill.
Macron decided to advance the euthanasia legislation based on a report submitted by the citizen's convention on the end of life. The citizen council brought together 184 participants for three months, where they debated over assisted dying and finally decided to approve the same under certain conditions.
Although 75% of the participants in the Citizens Council voted in favor, the head of state made no comments about his viewpoint or the recommendations that would be included in the bill.
Stating that the end-of-life support system is ill-suited to the current requirements, the president also called for a 10-year national plan to enhance palliative care.
Meanwhile, France's national council of doctors, l'Ordre des medecins, has said it opposes involving doctors in helping people kill themselves.
A 2005 law in France has legalized passive euthanasia as a "right to die," such as by removing artificial life support. For terminally sick patients in agony, a 2016 regulation permits doctors to combine treatment with "deep and continuous sedation."
However, active euthanasia, in which medical professionals give deadly medication dosages to patients with a terminal illness, was prohibited until now. Assisted suicide, where patients can get assistance to end their lives voluntarily, is also illegal in the country.