Citation

Vacheron A. Bull. Acad. Natl. Med. 2013; 197(4-5): 925-934.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/s0001-4079(19)31536-5

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Two major changes in end-of-life management have occured in recent decades: first, because of the increase in life expectancy and the resulting aging of the population, most deaths now involve old or very old people; second, more than two-thirds of deaths occur in a hospital or an institution. Our fellow citizens are afraid of suffering and death. They wish for a peaceful death, as rapid as possible and, in recent surveys, say they favour euthanasia. Yet euthanasia is illegal in France and in most other Western countries (with the exception of the Benelux nations). Palliative care ensures dignity in death, without anxiety of suffering, and is expanding rapidly in France. Léonetti's law of 22 April 2005 ensures the protection of the weakest, who should never be considered unworthy of life, yet is poorly known to the public and even to physicians. It now needs to be applied in practice.

Language: fr

Keywords

Humans; human; Attitude to Death; Withholding Treatment; quality of life; Quality of Life; assisted suicide; Euthanasia; France; trends; psychology; Informed Consent; Stress, Psychological; Terminal Care; Palliative care; Palliative Care; Fear; euthanasia; informed consent; fear; terminal care; palliative therapy; Suicide, Assisted; mental stress; Euthanasia, Passive; passive euthanasia; right to die; Right to Die; Advance Directives; living will; treatment withdrawal; attitude to death; legislation and jurisprudence; prevention and control; statistics and numerical data; Hospice care; Third-Party Consent