End of life bill : Fraternity abandoned
At a time when the French health system is experiencing serious difficulties, the announcement of access to a so-called “assistance in dying”, a smokescreen for euthanasia and assisted suicide, whilst claiming fraternity is as indecent as it is concerning.
If “the choice of words is important”, why then conceal the reality of euthanasia and assisted suicide by using the term “assistance in dying?” Why introduce such ambiguity unless it is in order to escape from the reality? The challenges which have to be confronted by the public authorities are however quite clear: the choice of providing relief from physical pain, the accompaniment of psychological suffering by those nearing their end of life and of their close relatives, support for the handicapped or the sick without ever compromising their dignity.
According to OpinionWay, the monthly opinion poll for Le Parisien, the French population put health at the top of their concerns and are extremely worried about the difficulty of access to healthcare. Who can believe that the limited budget earmarked for palliative care by President Macron will enable everyone in France to have access to it? The additional billion euros announced over the next 10 years in fact corresponds to a yearly increase of a mere 5%, which is well below the needs expressed by healthcare workers.
In fact, palliative care and euthanasia or assisted suicide are incompatible because their fundamental logics are radically different. The examples of nations which have legalised such practices show that it is not possible to maintain an ethical and effective unity for patients by combining two diametrically opposed approaches. In Canada, a mere 30 to 50% of Canadians have access to any form of quality palliative care, and even less, around 15%, have access to specialist palliative care for the treatment of more complex problems.
Concerning the eligibility criteria governing “assistance in dying”, they are already being jeopardised and there is little doubt that they will soon be swept aside as a result of the claims being made by those who consider that they are being discriminated against and who are demanding their extension. Once again wherever the prohibition to kill has been lifted, the framework initially established as exceptional has veered off course.
According to Alliance VITA, the legalisation of euthanasia and assisted suicide under cover of the hypocritical term “assistance in dying” represents an abandonment of the most vulnerable and a renouncement of fraternity, which is one of the founding values of French society. For that reason Alliance VITA, through its network of volunteer members, spread over the entire nation, will be conducting local and nation-wide awareness campaigns to promote high quality palliative care for all those in need and a commitment against “social death” by the abandonment of our fellow citizens suffering from illness, old age or handicap. It is the only truly consensual option; the only one worthy of humanity.
