French parliament to vote on assisted dying: Patients share their stories

FRANCE 24 English

French deputies are set to vote Tuesday on a controversial bill regarding end-of-life options before it moves to the Senate. The proposed “right to aid in dying” has divided politicians and healthcare professionals and reignited heated bioethical debates. In this report from France 2, palliative care workers and patients share their views on the matter. Read more‘Aid in dying’: What’s in the new French bill on assisted suicide  Visit our website: http://www.france24.com  Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English  Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/France24_en

Transcript

00:00On this hospital floor, life and death go hand in hand.

00:08It's a place where caregivers listen and provide support

00:13until the very last breath.

00:15But also an area of healthcare where dignity can be restored

00:20through the smallest of gestures like painting one's nails.

00:24I want to be beautiful from head to toe.

00:29When I look at myself in the mirror, I see an image of myself that isn't sick.

00:36So that makes me feel good.

00:39She's been battling cancer for 22 years and has had four recurrences.

00:45This is her second stay at this palliative care facility.

00:50We're pampered.

00:53I didn't know that existed.

00:56I'm going to hand out angels in blue gowns and in purple gowns.

01:03A few days after filming this, Fatia passed away at 69.

01:11Palliative medicine is designed to take care of people.

01:14But above all, its aim is to do everything to ease suffering.

01:18Jacques Le Bras also has incurable cancer.

01:21Faced with unbearable pain, he asked to die.

01:25Continuous sedation until death is the only legal option today.

01:29His medical team proposed a treatment plan instead.

01:33The pain has gone from…

01:40And gone from eight to zero.

01:43I'm not in pain anymore.

01:46Does that mean without pain, you're willing to go further in your illness?

01:51Yes.

01:52Jacques is taking a break, as he puts it.

02:03He's gone back home and returns to the hospital for weekly consultations.

02:12But for the former doctor, an assisted dying law is necessary.

02:24How are you today?

02:25Today, very well.

02:28Jacqueline Palmier arrived at this palliative care unit a few days ago.

02:33No treatment can cure her.

02:35I asked myself, if I were feeling better, if I were in less pain, would I want to continue?

02:41The answer is no.

02:42For me, it's no.

02:44So I asked myself, because it's scary to die after all.

02:48It's called freedom of choice.

02:50To stop.

02:55The proposed law would allow for a patient to administer a lethal substance to themselves

03:01or request a doctor or nurse to do so.

03:05Jacqueline asks her doctor what she would do.

03:10How would you react to this request if it were possible?

03:15Ah, but you're the one who's sick, you see.

03:20Of course I'll be with you.

03:25For a doctor, helping someone die is not natural.

03:28No.

03:29It's taboo.

03:30Does that mean, for you, helping someone die can be a part of care?

03:34Yes.

03:35It can be part of care, of course.

03:38For this woman, I want nothing more than what she wants, if it's possible and if it's

03:43within the law.

03:44It's also something I might want if I were in the same situation.

03:49This hospital in Paris has 25 beds for end-of-life care.

03:58Once a week, a doctor, nurse, physiotherapist and psychologist assess each patient together.

04:06The pain is easing a little, but it's still there.

04:11For them, the future law must include this type of decision-making amongst a team of palliative care professionals.

04:21Another aspect that must be in place is putting in safeguards.

04:27In Belgium, the right to die has been extended to minors and psychiatric patients.

04:33What aspects defined in the proposed law do you find unsatisfactory?

04:39We can clearly see the problems in Belgium.

04:42Ultimately, the limits are constantly being questioned and pushed back.

04:46So for me, that's the aspect that scares me.

04:49In this department, a dozen or so sick patients request to die each year.

04:54What will the future look like with this new law?

04:57And what are the potential consequences?

05:00How will I react as a human?

05:03I don't know.

05:04I don't know anything.

05:06We have to live with it.

05:08We're caregivers.

05:09We're human beings.

05:10We're talking about humanity here.

05:13I don't want this to be a debate between palliative care and medical support for dying.

05:18It's not either-or.

05:20It's not an either-or choice.

05:22Both can exist.

05:23These caregivers hope for a peaceful debate on the right to assisted death.

05:31They say they trust legislators to pass a heavily regulated law that would be a benefit to all.

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