The deputies approved in committee a bill creating a “right to help to die”, accompanied by strict conditions

The text would allow patients with a « affection grave et incurable » Who “Surges the vital prognosis, in advanced or terminal phase” and no longer supporting their suffering, to receive or administer a lethal substance. It was adopted Friday, May 2, by 28 deputies against 15, and one abstention; Supported by the majority of representatives of the left and macronist groups, and fiercely fought by those of the National Rally (RN) and the Republicans (LR).

The Social Affairs Committee had already approved unanimously, before the parliamentary break, a bill on palliative care defended by Annie Vidal (Renaissance).

Olivier Falorni’s text (Modem group), creating a “Right to help die”comes from the bill “Relating to the support of patients and the end of life”. Like the text on palliative care, brought in the spring of 2024 by the Minister of Health, Catherine Vautrin, and who had not been able to end because of the dissolution.

The debates in the hemicycle on the two texts will start on May 12 for two weeks, with a common general discussion, and two solemn votes scheduled for May 29.

Throughout the debates in committee, Mr. Falorni and his co -owners, including three opposition deputies, were keen to stay as close as possible to “Balance” of the proposed text. Ultimately, only 68 amendments out of more than a thousand in discussion were adopted.

Thus the key article of the text defining the eligibility criteria for helping to die was barely retouched.

These five cumulative criteria are: be at least 18 years old; French or residing in France; suffering from a “Serious and incurable affection, whatever the cause, which engages the vital prognosis, in advanced or terminal phase” ; The latter causing a “Physical or psychological suffering” refractory to treatments or unbearable; be able to manifest your will in a free and enlightened way.

In its initial version, the bill provided that the applicant’s days are in danger “Short or medium term” – the difficulty being to know what covers this notion of “Medium term”.

The collegiality of the decision

The deputies also decided to leave the patients free choice between self-administration of the lethal product and administration by a volunteer caregiver to do so, while the initial text provided that it is only possible when the patient “Is not able to physically proceed”. An evolution disputed in particular by the deputy Horizons and former Minister of Health Agnès Firmin-Le Bodo.

Another subject that questions until the government, that of the collegiality of the decision. The text provides for the moment that the doctor asked by the patient decides alone if he is eligible, after having collected the advice of at least another doctor and another caregiver. The subject should be reworked by rapporteurs by the session.

On the front line for the LR group, the deputies Philippe Juvin, Thibault Bazin, Patrick Hetzel and Justine Gruet fought on semantics, asking that the terms of«Euthanasia» and “Assisted suicide” Let are written black on white, and tried to influence a procedure not offering enough safeguards according to them (deadlines, possibilities of appeal and control, place of writing, distant, etc.).

The RN has particularly risen against the creation of a hindrance offense, which would criminally sanction the fact of preventing or attempting to prevent the right to die.

On the other side of the spectrum, left -wing deputies have endeavored to extend this right, Danielle Simonnet (Ecologist and Social group) defending with consistency – but without success – the possibility of expressing her choice concerning the help of dying in early guidelines.