Less and less taboo, assisted dying is a matter of debate

Tanneau/AFP

While François Bayrou wanted to distinguish the subjects of palliative care and active assistance in dying, the deputies behind the bill are opposed to it. For his part, Challenges does his calculations and wonders if the legalization of assisted suicide would not be “good for the Social Security accounts”. For the good of the economy, it is better not to have a slump…

Controversial, the bill tabled in September 2024 by Les Démocrates, and co-signed by more than 200 deputies, includes both the guarantee of access to palliative care, and the legalization of assisted dying for those who request it. The promulgation of this text having been slowed down due to the dissolution and the reshuffle, it is now in the hands of François Bayrou, who wanted the notions of palliative care and assisted dying to be separated into two distinct texts. According to him, the first is “a duty”, the other “a debate of conscience”. For their part, the deputies who co-signed the bill have made it known that they are opposed to it. So it's ongoing, each seeking to prove the merits and humanity of their position.

And meanwhile, Challenges looked at a study by Fondapol, which gave rise to an article coldly titled “And if assisted suicide was good for the Social Security accounts ?”. The question is as simple as it is glacial: how much money can be saved each year with assisted dying ? Taking Canada, and more specifically Quebec, as a reference, the magazine comes to the conclusion that “the legalization of this practice would reduce annual health expenditure by 1.4 billion euros”. The slope is slippery on an ethical and social level, since the use of assisted suicide is more frequent among modest households, who cannot afford the necessary care.

You liked the article ? It mobilized our editorial staff, which lives only on your donations.
Information has a cost, especially since competition from subsidized editorial staff requires increased rigor and professionalism.

With your support, France-Soir will continue to offer its articles for free  because we believe that everyone should have access to free and independent information to form their own opinion.

You are the condition sine qua non to our existence, support us so that France-Soir remains the French media which allows the most legitimate voices to be expressed.