Claire Anne Brule

Parliamentary Evaluation of the Claeys-Leonetti Law: Alliance VITA Auditioned on Monday 30th January

by Claire Anne Brule | January 27, 2023 | End of life, Euthanasia and Suicide, News

A mission for the evaluation of the Claeys-Leonetti law dated 2^nd February 2016 has been meeting regularly since 12^th January and will audition Alliance VITA on Monday 30^th January. Initiated at the will of the president of the Social Affairs Commission of the French National Assembly, to take “full responsibility for the treatment of this subject”, it was launched last November.

Presided over by Olivier Falorni, member of parliament for Charentes Maritimes and author of a private bill in favour of euthanasia in April 2021, this parliamentary mission consists of 19 members from several parties, and is to run until March, in parallel with the Citizens’ Convention on the end of life which is due to issue its report on 19^th March. The appointment of Olivier Falorni, at the head of this evaluation mission raises serious questions and doubts on the neutrality of his work.

Other than this cross-party mission, the social affairs commission has called for a report by the Government Accounting Office on palliative care. The idea is to evaluate what already exists “before considering any evolution of the law on such a sensitive and intimate subject“.

Among the personalities auditioned so far:

Jean Leonetti, co-author and co-reporter of the 2016 law, and Alain Claeys, Jean-Louis Touraine, ex-member of parliament for the Rhône and long-standing supporter of euthanasia, as well as Régis Aubry co-reporter of notice 139 of the CCNE (National Consultative Ethics Committee) reversing the latter’s position on euthanasia.

The president of the National Centre for Palliative Care and the End of Life (CNSFPV) Sarah Dauchy, the President of SFAP (Société Française d’Accompagnement et de Soins Palliatifs – French Society for Accompaniment and Palliative Care) Claire Fourcade, and other heads of knowledgeable societies or associations of carers have already provided their point of view.

On the same day, Alliance VITA, ADMD (Association pour le Droit de Mourir dans la Dignité: Association for the Right to Die with Dignity) and the association Le Choix, will be auditioned, followed by representatives of the Masonic lodges and religious cults who will be auditioned on 2^nd February.

The Senate have also recently launched their own evaluation mission, whose objective according to one of the three reporters, Michelle Meunier (Socialist Party) “is to update on the current status, but also to examine how the legislations are evolving abroad.”

The very recent statements by the President of the National Assembly, who wishes to legislate in order to authorise euthanasia and assisted suicide before the end of 2023, throw doubt on the true will to keep an open mind on the part of parliamentarians who support euthanasia.

Protection of the vulnerable, support for the ethics of care and relief of suffering, the impossibility of supporting the prevention of suicide on the one hand and the establishment of assisted suicide on the other, these major subjects, and others, will be defended by Alliance VITA during their audition next Monday.

Euthanasia and assisted suicide do not constitute a new freedom, but represent the disintegration of a social link. According to the comment by Philippe Pozzo di Borgo, the patron of Soulager mais pas tuer (Relieve but don’t kill) collective, “dependence induces fraternity, autonomy induces solitude and indifference.”

2023 Alliance VITA Bioethics Conference “Living in the Real World” 3rd Session: “A World to Construct”

by Claire Anne Brule | January 26, 2023 | Bioethics, News

Some 8000 participants in the Alliance VITA Bioethics Conference gathered on 23^rd January in 190 towns throughout France and abroad for the third instruction session titled “A world to construct”

Certain political choices transform society in depth. The legal evolutions in the bioethics domain modify how we consider the human embryo, the human body, the very meaning of vulnerability.

The human condition, which is marvellous and limited, the temporality of the human body, the female body in particular, are solid pillars for support when elaborating a society to be built.

Responsible for the “SOS bébé” help line for 12 years, Valérie Boulanger opened the session with a reflection on “Life in real time”. In view of the impression that time is accelerating, increases the need to control it. Both maternity and paternity are rooted in the long term and require the ability to project oneself with confidence into the future.

Having spent some 20 years listening to the distress and uncertainties associated with the welcoming of a child, Valérie has studied the realities which nowadays weigh heavily on maternity and paternity. “Their recognition, their confrontation is an essential condition for building the future.”

Doctor Laurine Escudier, a gynaecologist-obstetrician in hospitals extended the reflection around the temptation to stop time by addressing the question of self-conservation of oocytes. Since the 2021 Bioethics law, all women between 29 and 37 years of age may preserve their oocytes for no medical reason. Behind what is presented as a new right, Laurine Escudier questioned the promise of stopping the biological clock. Is it a dream or reality? She claims, “This technique is not any guarantee of maternity. One should not mislead women […] The true revolution would be to organise society to truly help women to have their babies at the height of their fertility.”

Next Blanche Streb, the Alliance VITA Director of training and coordinator of the Bioethics Conference looked at “The ways in which we perceive the reality of the human body and its place in the construction of our society.” The temptation for the modern man to be his own creator, feeds not only a double breakaway, from transcendence and from nature, but also the acceleration of technical progress, in particular in biotechnologies. “Man is not defined merely by his component parts […] Starting from the human condition one must determine the principles which construct our society: Man and Woman. Unique and singular. With their own particular times. In unity. Incarnate beings. Body-soul-spirit.”

The third session ended with a testimony by Axelle Huber. As a coach and therapist, Axelle accompanied her husband through the ordeal of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Charcot’s disease, through to his death in 2013 at 41 years of age. In a moving discussion with Blanche Streb, she described the route followed alongside her husband and denounced the misuse of Charcot’s disease by those who are promoting euthanasia and assisted suicide. “All life is beautiful because it remains a life even if it is difficult, even if it is fragile… instead of seeking how to legislate it would be better to see how to help sufferers.” Axelle Huber has written a book: If I can no longer walk, I’ll run, published by Mame.

In very many towns throughout France and abroad, the sessions concluded with local testimonies by doctors, carers, voluntary workers, help line listeners, parents etc.

The next and final session, on 30^th January is on the theme “A future to weave”

Mental Health: The Prevention of Suicide Should not Suffer Any Exceptions

by Claire Anne Brule | January 25, 2023 | Euthanasia and Suicide, News, suicide

The announcement of assisted suicide by the youtuber Olympe on the networks

Olympe is a 23-year old young French woman suffering from serious traumas experienced during childhood, an Identity Dissociative Disorder (IDD). A few days ago she posted a video, which she removed a few minutes later, where she announced having taken the decision to apply for euthanasia in Belgium, where it is legal. This announcement produced a shockwave.

She identified herself on the social networks by her personal testimonies in order to heighten public awareness on mental health. She has become what is known as an “influencer”, with some 250,000 followers on Instagram. The young woman has for years been living with a feeling of being “fragmented” into several personalities, “alters”, 15 in total. Her personal experience is extremely heavy and upsetting: she states she has suffered rapes, abandonment, having lived in several foster homes etc.

The Belgian reality shows the total ineffectiveness of the safeguards which claim to avoid such deviations

This painful story demonstrates yet again what the Belgian “anti-model” can lead to (which some people would like to import here): The promotion of a culture where euthanasia could be a “solution”, or even a “right” for people suffering, be it physically, mentally or morally. This recalls the dramatic case of Shanti De Corte, suffering from depression, who was euthanised in 2022 at a mere 23 years of age. She had survived the terrorist attack in Brussels, and was since suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Or even, the case of Nathan Verhelst, born female and called Nancy, who suffered from a gender dysphoria and for whom the treatments and surgical operations to “change sex” had not relieved her suffering. She was euthanised in 2013.

The Belgian reality shows the total ineffectiveness of the safeguards which claim to avoid such deviations. Euthanasia, when it was legalised in Belgium in 2002, was presented as being “authorised” only in exceptional end of life situations. In reality, the deviations observed demonstrate that as soon as the prohibition to kill is lifted, through certain “exceptions”, a society tumbles irremediably, stage by stage, into a culture of exclusion – or even of self-exclusion – of the most vulnerable. In 2022, the European Court of Human Rights recorded a violation of rights in another case, of a 64-year-old woman euthanised due to depression without her son – the plaintiff – nor her daughter being made aware.

Fundamental Rights of the Aged in Nursing Homes: An Initial Statement Showing Mixed Results

by Claire Anne Brule | January 20, 2023 | End of life, News, Old age and Dependency

The question of respect for the fundamental rights of the Aged living in nursing homes is the subject of a report released this week by the Défenseur des Droits (Defender of Rights). This report follows an initial publication in May 2021 of which our web site provided a summary. It included 64 recommendations in order to better care for people living in nursing homes and to ensure the effectivity of their rights.

In January 2022, a book by Victor Castanet “Les Fossoyeurs” (the gravediggers) caused a shockwave in the media and stimulated many reactions, as well as investigations by the public authorities on the situation in certain establishments. The situation in nursing homes throughout France is quite diverse, and many contributions have been made in order to propose new models for nursing homes.

Collective acceptance of the dignity of the aged in nursing homes

The report recently published mentions these facts by referring to the collective acceptance of our society to respect the dignity of the aged. It “welcomes” the announcement by the Ministry of Solidarity and Health for the reinforcement of inspections of the 7500 establishments over the next two years.

Mixed results

However, the report shows that “the results are unfortunately mixed” and the concerns of the “Défenseur des droits“ remain. Since May 2021, 281 new complaints have been received, denouncing in particular the infringement of the right for suitable care and support. The report mentions for example the established times for rising and retiring which are adapted to suit the personnel time-tables. According to the data published, 43% of claims concern ill-treatment by excess or by negligence, 30% limitations on visits, 12% on the freedom to come and go. Physical violence is mentioned in 2% of cases. According to the Défenseur “These claims concern the systemic nature of the problem of ill-treatment in nursing homes. They reveal a strong social demand for the respect of the rights and dignity of the aged.” Claire Héron, in a series of interviews, has expressed the inadequacy of the response by the public authorities. The announcements “are struggling to materialize and must now be translated into concrete terms in the field.”

Proposals to move forward

The report lists five “essential actions to be implemented without delay”:

Define a minimum ratio of carers and improve the attractiveness of careers in care for the aged.
Put an end to violations of the freedom to come and go.
Establish a medico-social supervision device to combat ill-treatment.
Clarify and reinforce the national policy on inspections.
Restore the trust of residents and their families.

Concerning the human means in nursing homes for the care and support of the residents, the report calls for the establishment of a standard of 8 carers (full-time equivalent) per 10 residents. These are the people directly involved in providing the care. According to Claire Héron, some states in Germany and Northern European nations achieve such ratios. The difficulties experienced in this sector to attract personnel are widely reported in the media. Official reports have raised this subject, which has been made much worse by the Covid 19 crisis. Unattractive salaries and difficult working conditions are mentioned regularly. This subject adds to the broader difficulty affecting the social and sanitary sector as a whole.

On the delicate subject of the freedom to come and go, the report notes that the abuse persists even after the sanitary crisis. Even if the importance of maintaining links through visits no longer needs stating, in practice the “Défenseur des droits” continues to receive complaints concerning the arbitrary confinement of residents in their rooms, following a unilateral decision of the nursing home manager and outside the framework of protection covered by the regulations.

The complaints received on the help line against ill-treatment of the aged and handicapped (3977) should also be “incorporated in a device for dealing with complaints and monitored by the Agences Régionales de Santé“ (regional health agencies).

Concerning inspections, the lack of human means in the ARS and Department Councils is restricting their effectiveness. The Défenseur is also calling for “unannounced detailed investigations in-situ in order to identify any ill-treatment situations”.

It is time to change our viewpoint and act

In an interview for the La Croix daily, the Défenseur stated that the private bill “to create a society to age well” borne by the government has some positive points but it is “a poor substitute for the great age law which had been promised. Once again, greater action is needed”.

Alliance VITA through its “Priority for humanity” proposals issued prior to the last presidential election, asked for the “great age and dependency law” to be completed.

As recorded in the conclusions of the report, there is a philosophy which must underline the policies, concerning the way we look at vulnerability: The “Défenseur des droits” is calling for a change in the way we look at the situation of the aged and their vulnerability”.

On this theme, the leaflet issued by Alliance VITA “Change our viewpoint to change their life” is a ready-available resource for concrete leads.

2023 Alliance VITA Bioethics Conference “Living in the Real World” – Second Session: A Reality to Be Listened to

by Claire Anne Brule | January 18, 2023 | Bioethics, News

On 16^th January over 7,500 participants in the Alliance VITA Bioethics Conference convened in more than 150 venues in France and abroad for the second instruction session titled “A reality to be listened to”.

Reality is always broader than one thinks, it also encompasses what cannot be seen. Reality is received, nourished, discovered. In order to work towards becoming what we are, to live in the real world, the path is not all that clear. Learning how to listen can be helpful.

Éric Chouteau, the general manager of Alliance VITA started the session by inviting the participants to broaden their perspective in order to better understand and apprehend reality. Through three examples of trading in the human body, as in prostitution, pornography and surrogate motherhood, Eric demonstrated that as soon as human dignity is challenged, one cannot partition off such realities into segments which are ethical and others which are not. According to him, reality cannot be enclosed in a scenario. Quite the contrary, it is through human relations, by the presence of others who enlighten that a person can escape from a negative scenario and open up other possibilities and a broader reality.

Pauline Quillon, a journalist with Famille Chrétienne, specializing in questions affecting society and author of an essay titled “Investigation on the Dysphoria of Gender (Mame, 2022), then described the painful reality of requests for “gender transitions” by minors. The debate opposes supporters of an “exclusively affirmative approach to trans identity” and those supporting a psycho-therapeutic approach aimed at “encouraging people to be reconciled with the gender of their birth. For the author, the thinking of the supporters of “self-determination of children” is weak “because it denies the common experience of the senses and that we are man or woman”

At the very heart of the Alliance VITA missions, listening inspires each of her actions, particularly when it comes to the reality of abortion. In order to shed light on this reality, Caroline Roux, the Deputy General Manager of Alliance VITA, who also coordinates the association listening and support help lines, reviewed the reasons which guide the public policies and analysed the situations which lead to abortions. In a context where demands to extend the conditions for access to abortion are ever more pressing, despite the ever increasing number of abortions in reality, Caroline recalled the need to explore the field of prevention by accompaniment, support and listening.

The session ended with an inspiring testimony by Christian de Cacqueray, the founder of the Catholic Funeral Service, the reality of all realities which is death. Through the accompaniment of grieving families and his practice of mourning rites, he supports a wisdom of life anchored in the prospect of death. In his view, the conscience of death provides a greater hunger for life. According to Christian de Cacqueray “We are not made for death”. The prospect of death, which is unavoidable and unpredictable, invites us to question the value of life. “In view of this common destiny, there is material for more life, a greater intensity of life.”

In very many towns throughout France and abroad, the sessions concluded with local testimonies by doctors, carers, voluntary workers, help line listeners, parents etc.

The next session, on 23^rd January, is on the theme of “A world to construct”.