MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

France to resume parliamentary debate on assisted dying

French Guiana could join Colombia as the only other place in South America allowing euthanasia

France's Parliament is expected to resume this week the discussion on whether to legalize euthanasia or any other form of “dignified dying,” with two main bills on the table, one focusing on palliative care and the other seeking to move forward with assisted suicide. The debate had been halted in June when President Emmanuel Macron dissolved the National Assembly.

Those in favor of the initiative support the idea of administering a life-ending chemical to terminally ill or incurably ill patients. With over 3,000 amendments submitted to the Lower House, voting is scheduled for May 27.

Health Minister Catherine Vautrine promised to finalize the bill in the coming days to achieve a balance between those who want to go much further and those who say that the existing mechanisms are sufficient.

In an interview with Le Parisien, Vautrine claimed it was not a euthanasia law, recalling that not many cases are eligible and always under certain firewalls. In a move to appease conservatives, the French Government is speaking of deepening “aid in dying.”

Assisted suicide is a common practice elsewhere in Europe. Belgian convict Freddy Horion, who killed six people in the 1980s and has been repeatedly denied parole after being incarcerated for 45 years, has filed for euthanasia, citing a lack of prospects. Legalized in 2002 for individuals experiencing unbearable physical and/or psychological suffering due to an incurable medical condition, and given that Horion's unbearable stress stems from his continued incarceration rather than an illness, the case has raised ethical and legal questions.

Should the parliamentary proceedings in Paris pull through and euthanasia become legal, French Guiana, as an overseas department of France, would join Colombia as the only territories in South America admitting end-of-life practices.