The process includes 3 major phases, with some partially overlapping dates on the timetable. The first two correspond to the French “National Consultations on Bioethics” as specified by the July 7, 2011 law. 1) The phase for public debates 2) The phase for the national organizations’ reports 3) The phase for drafting the law
I – The phase for public debates: January to April-May 2018
During this phase the population will be consulted: citizens, associations, scholarly groups, various local organizations, etc.A) National website
In early 2018, the website should be launched to allow every public citizen an opportunity to express his opinions and suggestions.B) Consultations organized by the Regional Ethical Review Boards
They are organized in each of the 13 main French regions, and coordinated by the National Consultative Ethics Committee. They usually consist of: – conferences/debates on one or two themes chosen by the Regional Ethical Review Boards, and are to include at least one lecture addressed to youth/students. The events will be covered by the local press. – Online questionnaires to be completed by any citizen so desiring.C) Contributions from specialized organizations
– Ethical committees from the major research organizations (“CNRS: National Centre for Scientific Research, and “INSERM”: National Institute of Health and Medical Research] – Faculties and Academies (Sciences, Medicine…) and specialized scholarly groups, – National Health Conference (a think-tank on basic rights for users) and “CRSA”: Regional Conferences on Health and Autonomy, – Etc… Each ethical board or specialized organization will submit its results to the National Consultative Ethics Committee. There will also be one or more randomly selected citizen panel(s), although the organization and role of the panel has not yet been specified.II – The phase for the national organizations’ reports: 2nd quarter of 2018
A) Specialized groups
Besides the scientific, ethical and public contributions, evaluation reports of the 2011 Bioethics law will be submitted, which have been elaborated by:- The Parliamentary Office for Scientific and Technological Choices (“OPESCT” (,
- The Biomedicine Agency, (“ABM”)
- The State Council (responsible for studying ethical and legal issues, as requested by the Government). They will also carry out various consultations.