Why a new law on end of life? Understand in three minutes

2023-11-24 05:00:25

Will assisted suicide and euthanasia soon be authorized in France? For the moment, Emmanuel Macron has not yet decided whether these notions will appear in the end-of-life bill expected by the end of the year. The government has been preparing this text for several months, responding to the request of certain stakeholders, such as the Academy of Medicine and the citizens’ convention on the end of life, who want an evolution of the current legislation.

Currently, the Claeys-Leonetti law, adopted in 2016 after four years of debate, authorizes in certain cases the “deep and continuous sedation until death”. The patient is placed in a coma and his treatments, including hydration and nutrition, are stopped until his death, which can occur after several days.

In this video, we review the arguments that explain why this law is contested and that argue for a new text.

If you want to know more about how French justice today deals with cases of euthanasia and clandestine assisted suicide, we refer you to the survey below.

“Understand in three minutes”

The explanatory videos that make up the “Understand in three minutes” series are produced by the Vertical Videos department of the Monde. Broadcast primarily on platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram or Facebook, they aim to put major events into context in a short format and make the news accessible to everyone.

Arthur Eryeh-Fort, Robin Gasser(motion design) et Pia Vidal(motion design)