Thursday, January 20, 2011

France considers law to legalize euthanasia

The Connexion news from France is reporting that French Senators took a first step towards legalizing assisted suicide. The Senate's social affairs committee voted 25 to 19 in favour of the euthanasia bill. The bill will be debated in the Senate on January 25.

The news article stated that this is the first time that the Senate in France has considered a Euthanasia bill. The bill would allow a person to die by a lethal dose if they are:
"a mature person, in the advanced or terminal phase of a accidental or pathological affliction that is grave or incurable, causing physical or psychological suffering that cannot be relieved, can request to receive medical assistance to die".

The Dutch, Belgium and Luxembourg legislation is also similar in the fact that it encourages euthanasia for people with disabilities who are not otherwise dying.

The news article suggested that the passage of the bill is unlikely and stated:
a group of UMP senators said in a joint statement that the law was "regrettable" and went against existing legislation that "aims to protect the weakest and most vulnerable and offer help to those who are in a dangerous situation".

The French government needs to improve the way it cares and it needs to reject legalizing the killing of its vulnerable citizens.

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