the convention multiplies the proposals

The Citizens’ Convention on the end of life has not been idle since its installation on December 9th. After only four weekends of work – the last session having ended this Sunday, January 22 – the 184 participants have already formulated 346 proposals in response to the question addressed to them by the Prime Minister, Élisabeth Borne: “The framework of end-of-life support adapted to the different situations encountered or should any changes be introduced? »

Creativity

A creativity hailed by Claire Thoury, president of the governance committee, which oversees the smooth running of the debates. “Congratulations to all for this great work! You are amazing! Your rigor, the quality of listening and respect that you show for each other, your involvement are gratifying for democracy”, she says to the assembly gathered in the hemicycle of the Palais d’Iéna, headquarters of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (Cese) which is organizing the exercise.

A little earlier, the rapporteurs of the six groups formed for the occasion presented the results of the two days of “cross-deliberations” around two themes: first, “what organization and what means to implement for a full and of the Claeys-Leonetti law of 2016? » ; then, “what end-of-life situations would require an adaptation of the current framework? »

Enforceable right to palliative care

On a giant screen, the tables of proposals follow one another. “Constrain the installation of doctors and caregivers in medical deserts for a minimum of time (five years as an indication)”, propose groups 1 and 2. “Inscribe in the law an enforceable right to palliative care to guarantee their access for all”, suggest groups 3 and 4. “Promote end-of-life support at home or in nursing homes by developing home hospitalization and mobile palliative care teams”, ask groups 5 and 6. These are the three main priorities put forward for the first theme.

The second theme, it seems, inspired the participants just as much. “Include the explicit wish of certain patients to end their life, in particular those with neurodegenerative diseases, beyond the short term”, consider groups 2 and 3. “Guarantee better access to deep and continuous sedation until to death”, claim groups 4 and 5. “Open the possibility of active assistance in dying to patients whose prognosis is committed in the short or medium term who have made a mature request”, propose groups 6 and 1.

Hurry up

The list is obviously not exhaustive. “No more than it is definitive, specifies Claire Thoury. These are raw proposals. Some are the subject of consensus, others of dissensus. They will all be taken up and reworked in future sessions. »

But time is running out. The convention is already halfway through and it only has two sequences left in February to complete the hearings and complete the deliberation phase before starting the restitution phase in order to be able to deliver, as expected on March 19, its conclusions. to the government.

A tight schedule that does not scare more than that Jean-Michel P., 60, professional coach in Grenoble. “To bring out the ideas of a group of 184 people from such different backgrounds, on such a complex theme, in such a short time, it seems mission impossible. And yet, the result is there: we are moving forward,” says this expert in business change.

From ideas to recommendations

An optimism that seems to be shared by the other members of the Convention. To the question “has the work carried out so far enabled you to progress in your reflection? asked at the end of the session, the result is more than encouraging: 150 answered “yes” against 8 “no”, and 6 abstained (out of 164 voters). It now remains to move from ideas to concrete recommendations.

🟠📽️#FinDeVie : comment @The cross will deal with the debate, @jchapuis
“We are among those who wonder and even worry about the risks of abuse. But we are above all committed to helping everyone, whatever their convictions, to enter into the complexity of the subject.” pic.twitter.com/vRLTTW8R0u

— The Cross (@LaCroix) December 8, 2022

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