In a step towards modifying end-of-life laws, the French government is convening a citizen’s convention of 150 randomly chosen people to debate the subject and suggest possible legislative changes.
Modelled on the Citizen’s Climate Convention held in 2019-2020, the end-of-life convention meet from December to March in an effort to answer a specific question posed by the government:
“Is the framework accompanying the end-of-life adapted to different situations or should changes be introduced?”
Based on the answer to that question, the government will decide – or not – to change the so-called ‘Claeys-Leonetti’ law that bans euthanasia and assisted suicide.
President Emmanuel Macron had promised reforms in his second term in office, including possibly allowing an “active aid to die”, or assisted suicide, which the country’s national ethics consultation committee said in September could be possible under very strict conditions.
The committee, and Macron, have said that this is not an issue to be put to a referendum.
A small panel in 2013 found that France should allow assisted suicide (helping someone to end their own life), but stopped short of recommending euthanasia (deliberately ending a person's life).
Convening a Citizen's convention is a way of broadening the debate.
Vatican opposes euthanasia
Macron evoked the question with Catholic leader Pope Francis when they met at the Vatican on Monday.
Macron told the Le Point weekly magazine that he had assured the Pope he did "not like the word euthanasia”, believing that death “is a moment in life, not a technical act”.
The Vatican considers euthanasia and assisted suicide to be crimes against human life, and the Pope told French lawmakers Friday that he opposed any changes in the French law, and called on life to be accompanied “until its natural end”.
He warned there should be a particular attention paid to elderly people in nursing homes, who need more palliative care to help them towards the end of life.
Convention participants representing France
The random drawing of participants in the citizen’s convention will be carried out by the Harris Interactive institute, a polling body.
The institute has been tasked by the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (Cese) that is organising the convention, to gather a representative sample of French people, with a mix of genders, age, geography, professions and education levels, without aiming for a perfect representation.
The Cese has promised to focus on recruiting people from the “most vulnerable” parts of society and from France’s overseas territories, which is more difficult.
It said it would not take into account people’s religion, nor their own experiences with the death of someone close to them.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, in a letter tasking the Cese with organising the Citizen’s convention, said the government would be consulting with others concerned, “notably health and care professionals”.
