Suffering from incurable cancer, Marie-Hélène wishes to benefit from active assistance in dying

“‘Madam, you only have a few months left to live’, I was told, at the beginning of August.” A former pharmacist, Marie-Hélène thought she would have a peaceful retirement. But six years ago, he was diagnosed with cancer. Despite the treatments, the metastases do not disappear and multiply.

>> End of life: Emmanuel Macron wants to launch a citizens’ convention on the subject and pass a law in 2023

“In agreement with my oncologist, explains this 68-year-old Rouennaise, and especially because of the last scan which showed metastases in the brain and in the bone marrow, we decided to stop the treatments because no chemo is now effective. So I’m at the beginning of the end of life.”

When the time comes, Marie-Hélène wishes to benefit from assisted suicide, a lethal injection supervised by a health professional. A decision that Alain, her husband, understands, but which remains difficult.

“At the same time, we leave each other, and everyone is saying to themselves: ‘Here is your way”. One will continue, then the other will leave. So it’s not easy.”

But the couple prefers that to leaving Marie-Hélène under deep and continuous sedation, the only option offered by French law today. The Ethics Committee delivers an expected opinion on the end of life on Tuesday, September 13, at a time when Emmanuel Macron is preparing to draw the outlines of a citizens’ convention on this subject of society before a possible law. The Head of State thus wants to bring together all the actors concerned by active assistance in dying in the event of a serious and incurable disease.

“Deep sedation, cis to keep life, theoreticallysighs Alain. But no: we keep the pain, we don’t keep life, it’s only suffering that we keep”. “What do we keep with sedation? We keep a body with nothing, complete Marie-Helene. Deep sedation is not the solution, it is a refusal to see things in the face.

“Some doctors say they are there to treat and cure, not to kill. But guys: treat me, cure me! But you can’t: my illness is inevitable.”

Marie-Helene

at franceinfo

For her, France should follow the example of Belgium or Switzerland, which authorize assisted suicide in a very controlled manner. This is what Marie-Hélène envisions for her end of life.

“That’s also what’s a bit frustrating is that if it weren’t for this inability to do it in France, I’m sure my decision would be much later, she indicates. Only, I will have to decide to implement a file in Belgium or Switzerland very quickly and that I go there quickly enough to be able to go there. According to her, the citizens’ convention proposed by Emmanuel Macron only delays the evolution of the law. The examination of a bill on active assistance in dying had begun in Parliament last year, without ever succeeding.