I took the opportunity of an invitation to a conference in Namur, Belgium, to go see with my own eyes what is happening there in terms of end of life. In France, we talk a lot about Belgium, but theoretically. I wanted to bring something more concrete, embodied, speaking directly to caregivers and citizens. I have visited several structures: a public hospital which offers an end -of -life consultation, a palliative care service in a private clinic with a rather religious heritage, and a home of palliative care marked by a religious culture, which still refuses to practice euthanasia, and a regional platform for palliative care consultation.
At each of these places, what struck me is that there is no taboo around euthanasia. Even in places that are not favorable, we talk about it. Dialogue is possible, respectful. Everyone has their position, sometimes their doubts, but we exchange. Whether in bourgeois or more popular circles, we speak of euthanasia with the same tranquility. It is already a big difference with France, where the debate is often tense, ideological, binary. Here, this term immediately triggers tensions; There, it is simply part of the current vocabulary.
This integration allows people to think of their own end of life without fear. There is a kind of release in the way of thinking about death, the wishes that we can have, the way we want to be accompanied. In France, we often stay in avoidance or silence, in doctor-patient exchanges within families.
