"I think the complete opposite": Catherine Vautrin marks her difference with Retailleau on the end of life

The government has been allowing itself a certain "polyphony" since François Bayrou's appointment as Prime Minister. This freedom of speech is required as the issue of end-of-life returns to the National Assembly chamber starting Monday, May 12, via two separate texts.

The proof is in Catherine Vautrin's interview on BFMTV-RMC. The Minister of Health responds directly to her colleague, Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau, who opposes the creation of assisted dying, a measure that is far less consensual than the strengthening of palliative care provided for in the first text.

To the head of Place Beauvau, who spoke to the Journal du Dimanche about the text being "deeply unbalanced," Catherine Vautrin replied: "I think exactly the opposite."

The person who will represent the government in the Assembly during the debates then specifies:

"All that has guided me since the first day of this text is supporting patients at the end of their lives. We are talking about people whose situation is irreversible, who are inhabited by suffering on a daily basis."

And the minister insisted:

"Do we have the right to say that we are not interested in these issues? In that case, a certain number of our fellow citizens - those who have the means, those who can - choose to leave for Belgium, for Luxembourg. Is that the Republic's response?"

The text on the creation of assisted dying sets out several criteria. The patient must be an adult, of French nationality, "capable of expressing their wishes freely and in an informed manner," suffering from a "serious and incurable condition" that is "life-threatening in the advanced or terminal stages," and no longer able to bear their suffering.

In an interview with Le Parisien on Sunday, Catherine Vautrin clarified her desire to "complete" the text submitted by MP Olivier Falorni (Modem) to further regulate it and ensure that "access to assisted dying is strictly regulated."

"The government will table an amendment to define the 'advanced phase', namely 'the entry into an irreversible process marked by a worsening of the state of health that affects the quality of life'," she explained.

As "discernment is absolutely essential," Catherine Vautrin will also submit "on behalf of the government an amendment to reinstate the irreducible 48-hour reflection period from the date of the doctors' agreement."

Regarding the injection of the product, "the patient must administer the lethal substance to themselves, this must be the rule" and "performance by a health professional will be the exception, even if there will always be the presence of a caregiver in the case of self-administration," the minister insisted.

The other text, on palliative care, provides for the creation of an "enforceable right", whereas according to a report from the Court of Auditors in July 2023, only half of the needs were met.

At the same time, the State will invest "100 million euros more per year for ten years and by better training professionals," Catherine Vautrin recalled.

MPs will debate the proposed laws on end-of-life care for two weeks, including weekends if necessary, before a formal vote scheduled for May 27.

After committing in 2022 to entrusting a citizens' convention with a review of the issue, Emmanuel Macron unveiled the broad outlines of a bill on end-of-life in March 2024. But the dissolution of the National Assembly halted its consideration. Under intense pressure from MPs, François Bayrou then returned to the drawing board, but split the bill in two.