Let’s say it straight away: we cannot say that the parliamentary debate did not take place. The legalization of assisted suicide and euthanasia – modestly referred to as “assisted dying” –, on which MPs must vote a third time on Tuesday June 30, was the subject of hundreds of hours of examination. The sign of a complex and delicate discussion, which places everyone before the dizzying question of death. The deliberations are not quite finished, since the text will soon return to the Palais du Luxembourg, where the senators should probably reject it, then return one final time to the Palais-Bourbon in mid-July.
By adopting this text this Tuesday, our deputies are preparing to take an unprecedented step: that of legalizing a lethal act. In our society, where anyone who refrains from coming to the aid of someone preparing to commit suicide is punished for failure to assist a person in danger, this is a major shift. Those who vote for it must be aware of this. “Thou shalt not kill,” we read in the Old Testament. Killing yourself – or killing yourself – is not and will never be treatment. On the other hand, it will be a very bad signal sent to society and to the most vulnerable, as palliative care caregivers and certain patient associations say today.
Throughout the process, opponents of this law tried to make themselves heard. They agreed to enter into these debates, arguing rightly about the value of life and the importance of taking care of those who have reached the end of their existence. They must now prepare, as they feared, for a definitive adoption and its consequences. They will have to do it without naivety and find a way to continue to take care of the weakest.
