What everyone forgets about euthanasia

Asking to die is almost always a cry for help

Dr. Stephane Mercier, Head of the palliative care unit, visits a patient in a hospital near Paris.
(Image credit: (REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer))

France's socialist government has decided to allow discussion on a bill that will, in practice, legalize euthanasia. French law already allows some forms of excessive care to be withheld from terminally ill patients. This is sensible, at least in theory, but the new bill would expand the category of excessive care to include feeding and hydrating, too — in other words, patients who cannot feed or hydrate themselves could be allowed under the bill to die. This is a significant change, one that, if passed, would let many people die who would otherwise not have.

On euthanasia, the battle lines are quickly drawn.

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Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry

Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry is a writer and fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. His writing has appeared at Forbes, The Atlantic, First Things, Commentary Magazine, The Daily Beast, The Federalist, Quartz, and other places. He lives in Paris with his beloved wife and daughter.