Paris
Just before taking her own life last week, the mother of former prime minister Lionel Jospin sent a letter to French newspapers explaining her decision. “I am leaving this life calmly,” Mireille Jospin wrote. “Ninety-two years—it’s time to leave before deteriorations set in.” Jospin’s death, believed to be from an overdose of barbiturates, has revived a debate about euthanasia in France. She was a member of the Right to Die With Dignity society and lobbied avidly for the repeal of laws banning doctors from helping the terminally ill to kill themselves. France has one of the highest life expectancies in the world: 79 for men and 83 for women.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
