France’s assisted suicide bill and the forced secularisation of Catholic healthcare

A proposed French law on assisted suicide could force Catholic hospitals, care homes, and nursing homes either to permit euthanasia on their premises or face closure, according to a warning issued by the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ).
The Strasbourg-based legal NGO said the bill, currently before Parliament, would represent an unprecedented intrusion into the freedom of conscience and religion of faith-based institutions, placing them under an obligation to allow euthanasia and assisted suicide even when this directly contradicts their founding principles.
In a detailed briefing written by its director, Gregor Puppinck, the organisation said the draft legislation would expose directors of Catholic institutions to criminal prosecution if they refused to allow the practice within their establishments. Those found guilty of “obstruction” could face up to two years in prison and a fine of €30,000, alongside the possible withdrawal of public funding and administrative sanctions. …