If he still has three working sessions to refine his proposals, the citizens’ convention on the end of life, made up of 184 citizens drawn by lot, has already taken a vote. This Sunday, February 19, the latter thus declared itself in favor of an evolution of the law for “ active assistance in dying » (Source 1).
After 6 work sessions spread over as many weekends since mid-December, nearly 84 % of the citizens of the convention (140 out of 167 voters) felt that the “ end-of-life support framework currently in force did not meet “ to the different situations encountered”. 75% of voters felt that access to active assistance in dying should be open, more than 72% expressed themselves in favor of access to active assistance in dying “ in the form of assisted suicide », and more than 65% in favor of active assistance in dying through euthanasia.
Through these various votes, the citizens’ convention therefore considers that the current legislation, and in particular the so-called Claeys-Leonetti law allowing a ” continuous deep sedation for some patients until their death, is not enough.
Note that the Convention also came out in favor of opening up assisted suicide and euthanasia to minorsand believes that this active assistance in dying should be open to everyone under conditions, and in particular to people “ suffering from incurable diseases or intractable pain or suffering without vital prognosis necessarily involved”.
“I hope that the public authorities will seize it”, declared Claire Thoury, president of the governance committee of the citizens’ convention on the end of life, at the microphone of France Info (Source 2) this Monday, February 20. “ It is an up-to-date snapshot of what the citizens’ convention thinks regarding the end-of-life support framework. There is still a lot of work”, weighted Claire Thoury. The conclusions will be made in March, then, “ the ball will be in the government’s court “, she underlines.
Note that this time, the government has not undertaken to follow the votes and recommendations of the convention, unlike the citizens’ convention on the climate, where it has not kept its promise.
