One hundred and ten sick, disabled, elderly or end-of-life people signed the opinion article published in Le Figaro on Wednesday, June 28, against the legislation on euthanasia, as a poignant response to the "Manifesto of the 109", which was published in March arguing for euthanasia in L'Obs.

"It is true that sometimes we reach the end of our strength, when we can barely bear the suffering and we ask for death, but you should not treat it as if our lives are negligible because of this. Calm us down, make it easier for us, hold us back. Tell us that you understand the anxiety, the feeling of loss, the fear that is haunting us."

110 people who are sick (recurrent lymphoma, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, myopathy, etc.), severely disabled, mentally ill, elderly or with Down syndrome, as well as their family members and other elderly people who help them, signed Le Figaro June 28 , published in its Wednesday issue, to oppose the legalization of euthanasia in France.

The French government must submit the end-of-life bill by the end of the summer,

therefore, debates and media offensives in support of euthanasia have increased. One of these was the "Manifesto of the 109" published on March 15 in L'Obs. Now, a new paper written by 110 disabled, ill and elderly people provides a deeply poignant answer.

"Come, approach us, remove yourself from the dictates of speed, dynamism and performance and let yourself exist with us. You often evaluate the quality of our life and misjudge it. Stop with us for a while"

- write the signatories, who include 62-year-old Philippe de Cuverville, who is suffering from lymphoma that has relapsed for the second time, 37-year-old Caroline Schürr, who is severely disabled, or 45-year-old, paralyzed Marc Henri d'Alès.

"With us, you will learn how much we live here in the present. And give us time to live with the illness and disability that limits us. Give us time to learn to die. It is a difficult, man-trying task, a seemingly long process, but it is essential. For us as well as for you.”

The text concludes: “ The legalization of euthanasia suggests that our lives, being physically limited and often painful, are unnecessary and a burden. We, on the other hand, reject the legalization of the requested right to die, because this right will end up being forced on us as a duty."

Translated by Judit Solymosi / katolikus.ma

Source: Aleteia

Cover image: Pixabay