France’s President, Emmanuel Macron says the draft legislation that would pave the way for assisted suicide for terminally ill patients, would be placed before the French National Assembly in May.
He gave support in an interview published in the Libération and La Croix dailies on Monday.
Adults capable of making decisions with a life-threatening illness over the medium term and whose pain cannot be alleviated would be allowed to request euthanasia.
They will then receive a response to their request following a delay of at most two weeks, Macron said.
Where possible, the patients would be required to administer the fatal doses to themselves.
The issue was controversial in France.
Administering fatal medication to another person is currently illegal, but passive assisted dying, by for example switching off life-support equipment or administering strong painkillers that accelerate death as a side-effect, is permissible.
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Macron announced moves towards the legislation in the autumn.
A lengthy consultation process was then initiated, and a majority came out in favour of allowing it.
France’s Ethics Council (CCNE) ruled that actively assisted dying was conceivable under certain strict conditions.
The decision on whether a patient should receive assisted suicide is to be taken by consultation, according to the Élysée Palace, with at least two doctors deciding together.
Health professionals are to be permitted to refuse to provide assisted suicide services, but must then refer patients to other health professionals.
Assisted suicide – alternately referred to as medical aid in dying – means a procedure in which people take medications to end their own lives with the help of others, usually medical professionals. The term usually refers to physician-assisted suicide (PAS), which is an end-of-life measure for a person suffering a painful, terminal illness. Once it is determined that the person’s situation qualifies under the physician-assisted suicide laws for that location, the physician’s assistance is usually limited to prescribing a lethal dose of drugs.
dpa
