A campaign in favour of euthanasia has used photomontages of French presidential candidates on the brink of death in a bid to gain attention.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is portrayed with feeding tubes on a hospital bed, centrist politicians Francois Bayrou is shown being monitored in hospital, and far-right candidate Marine Le Pen appears moribund.
Next to these images reads the slogan: "Candidate, should we put you in such a position, to make your stand evolve on euthanasia?”
“We interrogated every presidential candidate. We left alone those who responded favourably and we called upon those fiercely opposed [to euthanasia]”, declared Philippe Lohéac, general director of ADMD (Association for the Right to Die in Dignity).
The candidates in the adverts are all right-wing contenders. Sarkozy stands for the UMP, France’s major right-wing party, Bayrou’s MoDem calls itself centrist and Le Pen’s FN represents the far-right fringe.
“It just so happens that these three candidates are from the same side of the political arena but our association bears no political connotation,” commented a representative.
Socialist candidate Francois Hollande is the only partisan of a “medicalised assistance to end one’s life in dignity,” and has therefore been spared from the campaign.
The association said that its 48,000 members identify with every political view.
Back in February, ADMD spread a text signed by more than 50 celebrities to ask the candidates who are in favour of euthanasia for a formal commitment to the cause.