Charles Biétry will not die in Switzerland. Suffering for several years from ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), the 82-year-old former sports journalist had planned a trip with his family to resort to assisted suicide. The adoption by Parliament of a text creating a right to assisted dying in France This has drastically altered his plans and how he now envisions his final days. In a message posted on X, Charles Biétry announced his wish to remain at home in Brittany when his suffering becomes unbearable. He hopes to benefit from the new French system once the law is definitively approved and enacted.
A final trip to Switzerland, planned with his loved ones
Charles Biétry had arranged his departure for Switzerland with Monique, François, and Juliette. His three closest companions were to accompany him until his death before returning alone to France with his ashes.
“I will not die in Switzerland. The four of us were going. Monique, François, and Juliette were coming back alone with my ashes. The members of parliament changed the course of my death.”he wrote.
This perspective was central to the last years of his life. Charcot's disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), causes a progressive decline in motor skills and can lead to a significant loss of independence. Charles Biétry had publicly stated that he refused to endure suffering that had become uncontrollable and that he wanted to be able to decide when he died.
To die at home, "to the sound of my waves"
The French vote now allows him to consider a different end of life. Rather than traveling abroad, far from his home, the former head of Canal+ and Paris Saint-Germain wishes to be able to die in his familiar surroundings. "When the suffering becomes too much, I will return to exercise my right to freedom, at home, to the sound of my waves."he continued in his message.
Living in Brittany, Charles Biétry describes his death surrounded by loved ones, in a place he knows and is attached to. His statement also reflects the material and emotional burden of resorting to assisted suicide abroad, which forces French patients to leave their country and imposes a return home without them on their families.
A strict framework for accessing assisted dying
The adopted text defines assisted dying as authorizing and supporting a person who has requested the use of a lethal substance. Access to this service is reserved for individuals suffering from a serious and incurable illness that is life-threatening, in an advanced or terminal stage. The patient must also be experiencing physical or psychological suffering that is resistant to treatment or deemed unbearable. The person must be capable of expressing a free and informed will. Their request must follow a structured medical procedure designed to verify that all the conditions stipulated by law are met. The text also provides for a period allowing the patient to confirm or withdraw their decision.
Two years of parliamentary debates
The adoption of the bill brought to a close two years of debate and back-and-forth between the National Assembly and the Senate. The creation of a right to assisted dying divided parliamentarians over medical, ethical, and legal issues, particularly regarding eligibility criteria, the protection of vulnerable individuals, and the role of healthcare professionals. For Charles Biétry, this vote represents the culmination of a battle he has waged publicly since announcing his illness in 2022. The former journalist has spoken out extensively in favor of French legislation allowing people with terminal illnesses to choose how they die without having to travel to Switzerland or Belgium.
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