法國允許輔助自殺 或實現安樂死合法化

法國醫學道德委員會近日通過一項規定，稱病人“在神志清醒的情況下堅決、反覆要求”結束生命時，應允許對其施行輔助自殺。由此，法國在安樂死合法化進程中又邁進了一步。該委員會懇請對那些毫無治癒希望的病人施行人道主義責任，允許他們在醫生協助下結束生命。不過，是否對病人施行輔助自殺需由一個醫學小組集體決定。此前，法國總統奧朗德曾要求該委員會就何種情況下可批准進行輔助自殺進行詳細調查，並有意在6月份將安樂死合法化草案提上議事日程。法國在2005年曾通過一項法律，允許醫生對病人使用一定量的止痛藥物，在止痛的同時也能縮短病人的生命。

France's medical ethics council moved a step closer to legalizing euthanasia by ruling that assisted suicide should exceptionally be allowed when ailing patients make "persistent, lucid and repeated requests" to end their life.

Using the term "assisted death" rather than euthanasia, the council invoked a "duty to humanity" to allow a patient "suffering from an ailment for which the treatment has become ineffective" to die.

A medical team, not a sole doctor, would take the decision.

The council's conclusions came after President François Hollande asked it to examine the precise circumstances under which such steps could be authorized, with a view to tabling draft legislation by June.

Changes were necessary, he said, as, "the existing legislation does not meet the legitimate concerns expressed by people who are gravely and incurably ill".

A 2005 law already authorizes doctors to administer painkilling drugs at levels they know will, as a secondary effect, shorten a patient's life.

"However, the law can offer no solution to certain cases of prolonged agony or to psychological and/or physical pain that, despite the means employed, remain uncontrollable," said the council.

In these rare cases, the patient should be allowed to be administered "suitable, deep and terminal sedation", it said.

A report recently handed to the council found that there was widespread dissatisfaction among terminally ill patients and their families over a "cure at all costs" culture in the medical establishment.

It had called for doctors to be allowed to take moves to hasten death for terminal patients in three specific sets of circumstances.

In the first case, the patient issues an explicit request or gives advance instructions in the event of him or her becoming incapable of expressing an opinion.

The second case envisages medical teams withdrawing treatment following a request by the family of a dying and unconscious patient.

The third would apply to cases where treatment is serving only to sustain life artificially.

The author of the report, Professor Didier Sicard, stressed that he did not support any measures which "suddenly and prematurely end life".

"We are radically opposed to inscribing euthanasia in law," he said.

He also came out against Swiss-style clinics where people are provided with lethal medication to enable them to end their own lives.

There are about 3,000 euthanasia cases in France annually on average, all of them illegal, according to France's national demographics council.