News Digest: Storms Hit The South & Macron’s Euthanasia Bill

Hot on the heels of last week’s news, which saw the freedom for women to choose an abortion added to the French constitution (a moment that was marked by a ceremony in Paris on International Women’s Day), President Macron has turned his attention to another big subject in human rights and medical care – end of life care.

Speaking to the French press this past weekend, Macron announced plans to present a bill on assisted dying to the French parliament in May. “With this bill, we are facing up to death,” he said, adding that the purpose of the bill was “to reconcile an individual’s autonomy with the nation’s solidarity.”

The bill, if approved, would allow “assistance to dying” in the form of a lethal substance prescribed by medical professionals and administered either by the patient themselves or by a third party if the patient is physically unable. Patients with psychiatric or neurodegenerative conditions would not be eligible, and approval would be needed from medical experts. The proposed bill comes after extensive consultations with a citizens’ council of 184 French citizens.

If the bill is approved, France will follow other EU countries, such as neighbouring Belgium, in legalising this practice. Currently, “passive euthanasia” is legal in France (i.e. withholding artificial life support), and since 2016, doctors may also combine this with “deep and continuous sedation” for terminally ill patients who are suffering, but this new law would see “active euthanasia” become legal.

More extreme weather hit the south of France over the weekend with brutal storms and floods claiming at least four victims in the Gard and Ardèche départements. Three people, a father and his two children, remain missing this morning (Tuesday) after floods washed their car from a bridge in the village of Dions (close to Nimes), and police and firefighters are continuing search efforts today. While the southern storms seemed to have calmed down, there are still active flood alerts along the Serein River (89), around the Gironde estuary (33 et 17) and at the meeting of the Garonne-Dordogne (33). You can follow the latest warnings here.

However, there’s hope for good weather as we move into spring, with Météo-France recently publishing its quarterly forecast – predictions for “warmer than normal air masses” across much of Europe indicate a more than 50% chance of a “warmer than normal” spring in France. Here’s hoping!

France’s National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament, will today cast a preliminary vote on Macron’s strategy for supporting Ukraine in the coming months. While the vote will be non-binding, this will be a key opportunity for MPs to debate the proposed strategies and express their support or opposition.

The debate comes after a meeting between Macron and party leaders last week, and a bilateral security agreement signed by Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last month. Macron will also be travelling to Ukraine in the coming weeks, a trip that has already been postponed several times due to security reasons.

With Macron having recently been quoted saying he wouldn’t rule out “troops on the ground” in Ukraine nor the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO and/or the European Union – both highly controversial topics – the results of this debate aim to make France’s stance on Ukraine clearer and secure its commitment of “up to €3 billion” in military aid to Ukraine in 2024.