(Euthanasia Prevention Coalition) — On December 29, 2022, the highest administrative court in France rejected a challenge to its law against assisted suicide by Swiss group “Dignitas.”
Dignitas is committed to legalizing assisted suicide in jurisdictions outside of Switzerland.
According to CNE news:
The organization (Dignitas) had asked the French Prime Minister and Minister of Health to modify the regulations concerning poisonous substances. It wanted an exception for their use for suicide. However, as the Prime Minister and the Minister of Health refused to do so, Dignitas took them to court. The organization believed that the refusal was an infringement on the constitution that safeguards the dignity of individuals. The Council of State rejected the request in 2021 already, but Dignitas continued to launch requests.
Now, the Council of State has ruled that European Law does not recognize the right to die with dignity, and thus, France is not obliged to establish a regulation that legalizes assisted suicide.
Despite the ruling, the assisted suicide debate is not settled in France.
In September, France’s President Emmanuel Macron stated that he wants to legalize euthanasia. An Associated Press article reported that Macron said in a written statement that a body composed of citizens will work on the issue in the coming months in coordination with health care workers, while local debates are to be organized in French regions.
France’s citizen convention began it’s deliberations in December.
Reprinted with permission from Euthanasia Prevention Coalition.