(LifeSiteNews) — The United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) sent a letter to the French government on June 23, informing them that an investigation has been launched into France’s proposed euthanasia law, which was passed by the National Assembly in May.
The letter states that, pursuant to paragraph 1 of article 36 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the committee is exercizing its rights to request that states bound by the convention provide relevant information. In this instance, the CRPD requested information on:
- Whether the proposed “assistance to dying” legislation “is compliant with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
- “That the proposed eligibility criteria, including ‘Having a serious and incurable condition’ and ‘Experiencing physical or psychological suffering linked to the condition that is either treatment-resistant or unbearable,’ are consistent with the Convention, as they appear to be based in ableist perceptions of the quality and value of the life of persons with disabilities, including the view that ‘suffering’ is intrinsic to disability, without recognition that inequality and discrimination cause and compound ‘suffering’ for persons with disabilities.”
- That the law ensures that consent is given by the person him or herself, rather than third parties to protect people with disabilities from “coercion, undue influence, and abuse of power.”
- That alternatives to euthanasia are available to people with disabilities.
- Why the law would include the proviso that “anyone attempting to dissuade a person from seeking euthanasia or assisted suicide risks two years in prison and a €30,000 fine,” and how lawmakers can possibly justify stating that a person can “be legally killed” only two days after requesting euthanasia or assisted suicide.
- Whether organizations representing people with disabilities have been consulted (such organizations have been almost universally opposed to euthanasia legalization).
READ: Euthanasia rose 37% in New Zealand, and leftist politicians are pushing for more
The committee also demanded that “authorities of the State Party refrain from asserting in public media and social media that the Committee supports the legalization of euthanasia,” and “noted with concern the high suicide rate among autistic persons and persons with psychosocial disabilities.”
The letter also bluntly stated that the committee “has received credible information indicating that if the above-mentioned piece of legislation is approved, it would result in an infringement of the duty of the State party to respect, protect, and guarantee the right to life of persons with disabilities.”
The letter is written as if it is a request for information, but the tone is excoriating, and the position of the committee crystal clear: this euthanasia legislation violates the right to life of the vulnerable. As one of the final paragraphs of the letter states:
The information available to the Committee also indicates that the proposed piece of legislation, if approved, would create a false dichotomy regarding the concept of “choice,” setting up the premise that if persons with disabilities are suffering, it is valid for the State Party to enable their death without providing safeguards that guarantee the provision of support, and on the basis of ableist assumptions that de-emphasize the myriad of support options that could allow persons with disabilities to live dignified lives, and about the failure of the State Party to ensure arrangements for living independently and in the community, including the lack of independent accessible and affordable housing, individualized support, and equal access to services in the community.
READ: Daughter devastated to learn of mother’s assisted suicide through WhatsApp, and she’s not alone
According to the European Centre for Law and Justice, the committee’s letter was a result of a petition launched by the ECLJ, signed by almost 15,000 French citizens and sent in early April. The ECLJ also presented to the committee on May 6 and submitted a brief on the euthanasia law on May 30. On August 1, the ECLJ followed that up with a written memo detailing how the French government has “actively supported euthanasia for persons with disabilities,” noting that one key concern is the ease with which people with disabilities under guardianship could, under this law, obtain euthanasia.
“We have also explained in the French and foreign media, as well as in the European Parliament, that the proposed law on euthanasia violates the rights of persons with disabilities,” stated the ECLJ. “The French government’s response to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities will be examined during its session between August 11 and 29 in Geneva. We do not yet know its content. This U.N. session is a new step in these proceedings.”
This is the second high-profile intervention by the U.N. Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2025; in April, they called on the Canadian government to roll back aspects of their euthanasia regime to refrain from expanding eligibility further, with the vice-chair calling Canada’s system “a step back into state-sponsored eugenics.”
The committee clearly recognizes what pro-euthanasia politicians in the U.K., Canada, and France willfully refuse to see: that you can have state-sponsored euthanasia, or you can protect the vulnerable. You cannot have both.
