Assisted dying. "There is a strong expectation among the French": Vautrin will "complete" the text for even more regulated access

On this sensitive subject, "there is a strong expectation from the French, but it must be strictly regulated. The path is narrow, and I am seeking a balance between those who would like to go much further and those who believe that the current framework is sufficient," she emphasized in an interview with Le Parisien, published on the eve of the start of the debates in the National Assembly chamber. "These are not thousands of cases; these are specific situations," the minister argued, also assuring that "this is not a legalization of euthanasia."

The text released by the Social Affairs Committee aims to allow patients with a "serious and incurable condition" that is "life-threatening, in an advanced or terminal phase" and who can no longer bear their suffering, to receive or administer a lethal substance. "I am supplementing it with the recent recommendations of the French National Authority for Health (HAS) to 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 the worsening of the state of health that affects the quality of life," the minister indicated.

Since "discernment is absolutely essential," she will also table "on behalf of the government an amendment to reinstate the irreducible 48-hour reflection period from the doctors' agreement." Regarding the injection of the product, "the patient must administer the lethal substance to themselves, this must be the rule," the minister insists, and "performance by a healthcare professional will be the exception, even if a caregiver will always be present in the case of self-administration."

Catherine Vautrin, whose "life experiences [...] have changed," particularly around Lou Gehrig's disease, is not giving "any voting instructions" but is hoping for "an informed consensus around a balanced text." As for whether this societal reform, which is divisive even within the government, will be adopted before the end of the five-year term, she wants to be "extremely cautious" but believes that "it would be a good thing."