On 15 October, members of organisation Ultime Liberte (WF member) were subject to early dawn raids by the French Police. In a tip-off by the US authorities (also in last July), the French Police went knocking on elderly people’s doors at 6am, demanding entry and that they hand over their drugs.
As a result, 130 bottles of Nembutal were seized in 103 different locations across 18 regions in France. News reports state that over 300 French police officers were involved. To date, Exit knows of no arrests.
This extraordinary show of force by the French state shows how seriously this secular, yet strongly Catholic, nation takes the issue of assisted suicide. In this regard France has unusual laws providing a legal obligation to prevent suicide, even if the person is of sound mind and elderly. This legal obligation to act can amount to an extraordinary interference by a person in another adult’s ability to prepare for the future. France remains the only country to ban Derek Humphry’s book Final Exit. The Peaceful Pill eHandbook has not (yet) been banned in France.
The take-home message from these raids is that if you are lucky enough to have Nembutal, keep it well hidden.
Source: e-deliverance, the newsletter of Exit International
France