One hundred and fifty. This is the number of French people supposed to debate for several months on the end of life, with a view to a possible change in legislation. The draw to select them starts on Tuesday, announced its organizer, the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (Cese) in a press release.
This citizens’ convention, scheduled to be held from December to March, will debate the need to change current legislation on the end of life, a subject which President Emmanuel Macron aims to make the major societal reform of his second five-year term. Question asked: “Is the end-of-life support framework adapted to the different situations encountered or should any changes be introduced?” »
An “active aid in dying”?
It is on the basis of these debates that the government will decide whether or not to change the Claeys-Leonetti law on medical support at the end of life, possibly by legalizing “active assistance in dying” which the Ethics Committee recently considered possible under very strict conditions.
The Elysée and the government have indeed returned the responsibility for the debates to this citizens’ convention, on the same model as that which met on the climate in 2019 and 2020, even if the State had finally retained only some of its proposals.
The draw, carried out by the Harris Interactive institute, will aim to select a representative sample of French people according to gender, age, place of residence, region of origin, socio-professional category and level of education. “Particular attention will be paid to the most precarious audiences and to Ultramarines, whose recruitment may prove more difficult”, promises the Cese.
Telephone lists
On the other hand, the Cese has given up taking into account the religion or the personal experience of people, for example if one of them has been confronted with the end of life of a loved one. The draw, made from telephone lists provided by the operators, should end at the beginning of December, shortly before the start of the convention, on December 9.