Living wills and end-of-life wishes

French law allows for any adult to make a ‘living will’ in order to clarify their 'end-of-life' wishes should they find themselves seriously injured or terminally ill and unable to express themselves.

In the absence of such a document then your designated personne de confiance would be consulted (if you chose one) and then other close family or friends.

This document may concern such matters as limiting or stopping treatment if you are in a vegetative state; whether or not you would want to be transferred to intensive care to try to keep you alive at all costs; whether to use artificial respiration or to undertake surgeries, or instead to have palliative care which may reduce suffering even if it has the effect of causing you do die sooner than otherwise.

Doctors will respect your wishes unless they agree they are manifestly inappropriate to the medical situation or because a situation is so critically urgent that there is no time to consult them.

Anyone can make a living will, called directives anticipées, although authorisation is needed for a person who is sous tutelle, either from a judge or the conseil de famille – a group of relatives designated to make decisions for the person.

The document must be signed and dated, including your date and place of birth and full name – a procedure involving two witnesses is possible if you cannot write. See here for a template with suggestions for how to complete it.

It is in two versions – the first for someone who is seriously ill, the second for people in good health.

There is nothing in the laws relating to directives anticipées saying that they must be written in French, but it is probably implied, as there is no guarantee that French medical professionals who may need to consult it urgently will understand English.

What is more the laws say it is preferable to follow the template models if possible. You can ask your GP for help if necessary. 

Your living will may be lodged with your GP, with your personne de confiance (see here) or another family member or with your retirement home or the hospital if you are hospitalised. Let close family know about it and it is also recommended that if you have a dossier médical partagé (online medical records) that a copy be kept in that.

It can be changed at any time.

In the case of you being gravely ill the doctors must check to see if any living will can be found.