France

Articles

“France to open debate on legalizing assisted suicide”
(APnews — September 13, 2022)
French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday announced a national debate on end-of-life options that will include exploring the possibility of legalizing assisted suicide.

A 2016 French law provides that doctors can keep terminally ill patients sedated before death but stops short of allowing assisted suicide.

Macron said in a written statement that a panel of citizens would work on the issue in coordination with health care workers over the coming months, while local debates are organized in French regions.

The government plans to hold parallel discussions with lawmakers from all political parties to find the broadest consensus, with the aim of implementing changes next year, the president’s statement said.

“French Families Challenge Doctors on Wrenching End-of-Life Decisions”
(New York Times — July 31, 2014)
At least seven times, alone and in secret, Dr. Nicolas Bonnemaison prepared a lethal dose of sedative and quietly ended the life of a comatose patient in his care….For patients unable to communicate, such decisions fall legally to the physician….The opinions of family members and fellow doctors must be heard, the law states, but by no means obeyed.

“French doctor acquitted of poisoning charges after giving lethal injections”
(Guardian — June 25, 2014)
A French doctor has been acquitted of poisoning charges after giving lethal injections to seven terminally ill patients.  Coming a day after France’s top administrative court ordered an end to the treatment of a comatose man — a decision later blocked by the European court of human rights — the rulings cast new light on the legal struggle over medical treatments for the terminally ill or patients in vegetative states.

“French doctors endorse euthanasia”
(BioEdge — February 15, 2013)
France’s peak medical body, the Conseil national de l’ordre des medecins (CNOM, the national council of physicians) has endorsed euthanasia.  This marks the first time that a French medical body has taken this step.