End of life: what are the conditions for accessing assisted dying ?

The bill on the end of life has finally been adopted. preciseé by Emmanuel Macron and must be examined by Parliament &agrav; from May. The measures announced are already making progress. react, but what does the text predict ?

The outlines of the end-of-life bill have finally been outlined. revealed by Emmanuel Macron. The text which was promised for 2023 will finally be presented in the Council of Ministers at the beginning of April 2024 and will be studied in Parliament à as of May 27 indicatedé the Prime Minister on other dates in the calendar, nor given horizon for the adoption of the text in his interview for Libération and The Cross: "On a text which raises such issues, we are not asking for urgency, there will be no accelerated procedure& "

The President of the Republic, however, presented a "law of fraternity" well-crafted plan which provides for "helpé die". Emmanuel Macron insistedé to differentiate the measure he proposes from euthanasia which "means the fact of ending someone's life, with or without ;ecirc;even without his consent" or assisted suicide "which corresponds to the free and unconditional choice of a person to dispose of their life". "We had to go further, by demonstrating an &eac;ethic" requirement. underlined the president of the Republic on X. But despite the distinction, in fact, it's indeed an assisted suicide' which is envisaged with exceptional recourse &agrav; euthanasia in certain cases.

Precise conditions for access to help ' die

Help & Dying can only be offered to adults, as recommended by the Commission. the Citizens' Convention on the end of life in its conclusions delivered on April 2, 2023 as well as the Committeeé consultative national ethics in September 2022. Several other conditions concerning the state of health of the patient will determine access to the patient. help ' die. Patients will therefore have to be capable of “full and complete discernment”, which will deprive people suffering from psychiatric or neurodegenerative illnesses. Nerative diseases such as Alzheimer's help die. They must be affected by an incurable illness, have a life-threatening prognosis, &agrav; courtyard or &agrav; medium term and present psychological and/or physical suffering impossible in the long term. relieve.

But the meeting of all these conditions will not guarantee that a patient will be able to resort to assisted suicide. He may request it, but the decision will be up to you. a émedical team "collegially and transparently". To ensure the patient's determination, a period of two days will be necessary before studying their request, then returning it to the patient. The response from the medical team must be returned "within a maximum of fifteen days".

A favorable response from doctors will allow the patient to benefit from medical assistance. die within three months, after which a new request will be necessary. Even once the prescription has been made, the patient will be free to “withdraw” at any time. any time" specifiedé the head of state. In the event of an unfavorable opinion, the patient may consult another medical team or proceed to further treatment. remedies".

How will the lethal product be administered ?

After a favorable opinion from a medical team, a lethal substance will be prescribed to the patient who will be able to administer it himself. me, a situation close to assisted suicide. If, and only if, the patient "is not physically able to proceed" assisted suicide, he can be helped of a third party whether it is the "doctor or the nurse who accompanies' or a 'voluntary person that it designates when no constraint of a technical nature prevents this", according to the draft of law. A scenario comparable to that of euthanasia carried out with the consent of the patient. The administration of the lethal product may take place at home, in a health establishment. or in an Ephad.

Strengthened palliative care ? A promised ten-year plan

The bill on the end of life includes a part on assistance for the elderly. dying, which must be the last resort, and a part on supportive and palliative care which must not be forgotten according to Emmanuel Macron. ;quot;We are going to put palliative care back at the heart of support even before the law is promulgated" he promised. A ten-year strategy for the development of palliative care must be presented by the end of March. While 1.6 billion euros is dedicated to in supportive care currently, "we are going to invest 1 billion more" saidé the head of state.

"What is important is that, from the diagnosis and the start of treatment, the pain is taken care of and the # Human support intervenes. To do this, we must continue to deploy mobile teams which help hospital services to cope. better manage pain" indicated Emmanuel Macron. Palliative care must also be developed in pediatric services for children who will not be able to qualify for treatment. help ' die, regardless of their state of health : "It is essential to improve pain management for infants and children".

Strengthening palliative care must also involve establishing a "continuum with community medicine" and investment on "support' home supported on healthcare networks". For this, "support homes which are the missing link between the hospital and the home" are in project. Above all, the head of state promises to provide the unit with of palliative care to the 21 departments which still lack it.