Michel Barnier wants to resume work

Michel Barnier wants to resume work

The pace seems to be accelerating around the end-of-life bill. After Michel Barnier’s general policy declaration and his announcement of a “resumption of dialogue” on the “serious issue” of the end-of-life law, his office clarified to our colleagues at La Croix that “in the coming weeks, and in the transpartisan spirit that the Prime Minister calls for, discussions will take place with parliamentarians, caregivers, families and associations to determine the timetable and the basis on which the discussion will be relaunched from January 2025 “.

On the set of France 2 this Thursday, October 3, Michel Barnier however went further, saying he was “personally in agreement with the first bill” and “in favor of resuming work” from the amended text, “to win time.” Clearly, this means that the deputies should resume examination of the text as it was left at the time of the dissolution, without returning to the amendments already adopted, and without carrying out new hearings of caregivers, associations or of people concerned by the issue of end of life.

In June, the deputies had already voted on the amendments to enrich the first six articles of the text of the law, before stopping abruptly and abandoning the work. These define the conditions of access to active assistance in dying. Olivier Falorni, deputy of the Democrats and member of the special commission on the end-of-life bill, tabled a new text in July, corresponding to the last version in June. On September 23, the National Assembly deemed the text admissible for a legislative procedure.

A decision that divides

“That a prime minister can change his position in two days, on such an essential subject, does not give the image of great consistency” says Erwan Le Morhedec, lawyer and palliative care volunteer. “Today’s Assembly is not the same as the one which worked on the text. The deputies are therefore not bound in any way by what was previously debated. It is unimaginable to demand d “They start a debate from the seventh article of a text.”

The day after the Prime Minister’s general policy declaration, Yaël Braun-Pivet, President of the National Assembly, said she was disappointed with Michel Barnier’s displayed caution, and said she wanted to see the text return quickly to the hemicycle. , without resorting to further consultations. Same story with the Association for the Right to Die with Dignity (ADMD), which actively campaigns for the opening of assisted suicide and euthanasia. “Discussions have taken place – and at length – on the subject. We demand that parliamentary work resume without delay” declared Yoann Brossard, secretary general of the ADMD. “But there was no dialogue, the caregivers were not listened to” storms Erwan Le Morhedec, “the hearing agendas were discovered 48 hours in advance, the psychiatrists were never heard, It was a mock discussion.”

Why such a change of course on the part of the Prime Minister? “He certainly received pressure after his declaration in the chamber,” explains Erwan Le Morhedec.

Michel Barnier, however, announced during his general policy declaration the strengthening of access to palliative care from 2025, thanks to the Social Security Finance Bill, which decides the social security budget and its distributions.

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