A-Infos (en) France, UCL AL #366 - Politics - Strasbourg: Raising Anti-Disability Criticism of "Assisted Dying" (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

While left-wing opposition to the end-of-life bill emerged within 
anti-disability circles this spring, several organizations in Strasbourg 
voiced this opposition at a public meeting. This spring, the issue of 
the bill (PPL) concerning "assisted dying," which aims to legalize 
euthanasia and assisted suicide, gained prominence in the public debate 
as the National Assembly examined it. Opposition to the bill had 
previously seemed confined to the moral and religious views of the far 
right and the conservative right. But another voice has emerged: that of 
anti-disability organizations, which have voiced a united opposition to 
the bill, motivated by a materialist analysis rooted in left-wing 
ideology[1]. Alternative libertaire published an interview with Odile 
Maurin on this subject a few months ago[2].

Since then, the issue has faded into the background, overshadowed by 
parliamentary maneuvering and economic debates. It could, however, 
resurface at any moment. Currently bogged down in the Senate, the bill 
is nonetheless continuing its progress. Crucially, Macron has repeatedly 
indicated that he is considering a referendum on the bill if the 
parliamentary route proves too complicated. This would be a double coup 
for him: ending his second term with a measure seen as social and 
progressive, and passing it through the mechanism touted as the most 
democratic of the Fifth Republic.

Faced with this possibility, some groups are seeking to continue 
engaging with the issue. This is the case with UCL Alsace, which has 
been discussing the topic for several months and decided to take action 
by organizing a public meeting held on October 18th at the Maison des 
Associations in Strasbourg. Once the initiative was launched, it was 
quickly joined by disability rights organizations-the Collective for the 
Struggle and Disabilities for Equality and Emancipation (CLHEE), the 
Disabled Women, and the Mask Bloc Alsace-as well as two other political 
organizations, Class Autonomy (A2C) and the Union for Communist 
Reconstruction (URC). These organizations helped organize the event and 
also shared the stage where speakers took turns during an hour-long 
presentation outlining the reasons for left-wing opposition to "assisted 
dying," highlighting the realities of the current healthcare system and 
the care provided to people with disabilities.

A question-and-answer session with the audience followed. While there 
had been concerns about the presence of people defending the law or 
offering conservative opposition to the bill, this was not the case, and 
the discussions remained calm. Around twenty people, mostly activists, 
attended the meeting. The discussion provided an opportunity to clarify 
certain points and offer additional resources, for example, regarding 
the connection between antifascism and criticism of the bill. It also 
served as a forum for powerful testimonies about disability and 
end-of-life care, reminding us that this opposition does not ignore the 
often harsh realities of illness and death.

An audio recording of the meeting was also made by Radio VNR, making it 
available as a podcast[3]. At the end of the meeting, about ten people 
left their contact information to stay informed about future 
developments, or even expressed a desire to get involved in a collective 
effort. They have since formed a local anti-ableist group that aims to 
lead the left-wing opposition to the bill.

UCL Alsace

Validate

[1]See Fg-antivalidiste.fr.

[2]"Odile Maurin (Handi-Social): 'Will the choice to die truly be 
free?'", Alternative libertaire no. 362, July-August 2025, 
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Odile-Maurin-Handi-social-Le-choix-de-mourir-sera-t-il-reellement-libre.

[3]To listen to the podcast: link.infini.fr/reuav18102025.

https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Strasbourg-Porter-les-critiques-antivalidistes-de-l-aide-a-mourir
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