France's euthanasia bill would criminalize suicide prevention.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Sebastien Ostertag, a French / American who is living in France, sent EPC an analysis of France's euthanasia bill that is very concerning. 

France's euthanasia bill not only gives medical professionals the right in law to be directly involved with killing their patients the bill would also criminalize suicide prevention. Ostertag explains:

This bill would not only allow the killing of the physically and mentally ill, but would also do what no country in world history has ever done, which is to criminalize, with two years imprisonment, suicide prevention.

Ostertag continued:

The French bill would also criminalize anyone attempting to dissuade someone from committing suicide through assisted suicide or euthanasia. This applies to psychologists, therapists, priests, teachers, parents, doctors, and even organizations attempting to prevent suicide.

Ostertag explains:

Article 17, Section 2 states, “Is punished with two years imprisonment and a fine of 30,000 euros the act of stopping or trying to stop the practicing, or informing on medical aid in dying by any method including through electronic communication and online, notably by the transmitting of allegations or indications…with a goal of dissuasion, on the characteristics or consequences of medical aid in dying.”

Section 3 criminalizes trying to disrupt in any way the locations where euthanasia and assisted suicides will occur, which would mean that you couldn’t go to the hospital to try to dissuade your 18-year-old teenager or the doctor prepared to euthanize them.

That is followed by Section 4, which criminalizes the exercising of “moral or psychological pressure, by threatening or any act of intimidation towards people trying to be informed on medical aid in dying, the personnel participating in medical aid in dying, the people wishing to have recourse to medical aid in dying…” This means that any attempt to dissuade a loved one would be illegal.

All of this is topped off by the last section, which gives activist “right to die” organizations the legal right to file lawsuits against individuals and organizations that violate the delit d’entrave. These organizations have already stated that they will go after religious retirement homes and institutions that refuse to participate in assisted suicide and euthanasia. These groups would sue parents who try to keep their depressed 18-year-olds from getting assisted suicide.

Ostertag is urging the US government to condemn the French euthanasia bill. He believes that if this bill is stopped that it would likely die since President Emmanuel Macron is very unpopular.

Ostertag article: (Link).