the Citizens' Convention is mainly in favor of the development of palliative care

The 184 participants in this participatory democracy system approved 67 proposals, with the widely shared objective of improving the current framework for end-of-life support.

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Published on 05/03/2023 19:27

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We need to improve the “current end-of-life support framework” in particular by developing palliative care, independently of the possible legalization of a “active assistance in dying”argued on Sunday March 5 the Citizens’ Convention charged by the government with working on these issues.

Gathered in Paris at the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (Cese) for their seventh weekend of work, the 184 participants in this participatory democracy system overwhelmingly approved 67 proposals in this direction, said the Citizens’ Convention in a press release. In total, “97% of voters felt that the current framework needs to be improved, regardless of their opinion on ‘active assistance in dying'”is it written.

Among other proposals, participating citizens suggest enshrining in law a “enforceable right to end-of-life support and palliative care” and to release the necessary budgets for this on the principle of “whatever the cost”. We should also fund research to better relieve pain, and develop support for the dying by psychologists, they suggest.

The conclusions of the work submitted to the government on April 2

During a previous working session, on February 19, the Citizens’ Convention had come out with a majority in favor of changing the law to establish a “active assistance in dying”. Whether this proposal is accepted or not, however, this does not detract from the need to improve palliative care, insisted Sunday during a press briefing four of the 184 participants.

This question of palliative care had already been raised at length during previous working sessions, stressed the members of the Convention, some of whom had moreover publicly regretted that this point had not been highlighted in the reports of the works.

The Convention must still meet from March 17 to 19, then from March 31 to April 2, the date on which it will have to submit its conclusions to the government. The executive, which is conducting its own consultations at the same time, has warned that it will probably not take up the conclusions of the citizens as they stand.