In the entourage of the candidate president, the cause seems heard, even if it was absolutely not discussed during the televised debate on Wednesday April 20: the great social reform of Emmanuel Macron, if he is re-elected, will be the recognition of “right to die with dignity”. This is what Richard Ferrand said on France Info on April 11. A confidence from the candidate during a campaign trip to Fouras (Charente-Maritime), on March 31, is in line with the prognosis of the President of the National Assembly.
“I give you an opinion personally, I am in favor of moving towards the Belgian model”, Mr. Macron confided to a woman who asked him to legalize “euthanasia”, as well as to a man suffering from Charcot’s disease saying he was ready to go to Belgium in order to legally receive a lethal product there. The candidate did not just give them his opinion. He implied that“un consent” on “the Belgian model” seemed possible to him. In Belgium, people – including minors – suffering from an incurable pathology can request euthanasia under certain conditions. This is done by a doctor.
If the microphones of Europe 1 and France Inter had not picked up the aside from Fouras, only the roadmap that Emmanuel Macron presented on March 17, at the same time as his program would be known: “I will submit the end of life to a citizens’ convention, and based on the conclusions of this, I will submit either to the national representation or to the people the choice to go to the end of the road which will be recommended. » Is the Head of State taking an electoral risk by committing to “evolve” the law ? Marine Le Pen, she is “opposed to euthanasia and assisted suicide. This is the barrier that must not be crossed. she summed up in a tweet, adding: “I think we should not go further than the Leonetti law of 2016, which reaffirms the right to palliative care. »
“Society has evolved”
Polls show, however, that Frontist voters do not have a different opinion on the end of life from the rest of the electorate, who are mostly won over to the idea of a new stage. “In 2012, there was an element of political risk in committing to an evolution, observes Marisol Touraine, former Minister of Health (2012-2017) of François Hollande, rallied to Emmanuel Macron. But society has evolved. There are no longer many reservations on the principle. » Mme Touraine pleads for a “necessary progress, including up to euthanasia, provided that it does not appear as a project carried by one camp against another”.
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