‘Ma dernière liberté: Journal d'une mort décidée’ by Jean-Marie Lorand

‘Ma dernière liberté’ is the follow-up to former journalist and parliamentary aide, Jean-Marie Lorand’s earlier autobiography and plaidoyer in favour of assisted dying, ‘Aidez-moi à mourir’. In ‘Ma dernière liberté’, a published version of the diary he kept from the turn of the new year until his assisted death in July 2000, Lorand recounts his final months of life, in all their intimacy. The text offers vivid insights into the physical, mental and emotional pain he endured as a result of his neurodegenerative condition, particularly the constant threat of death by suffocation, and highlights the impact of politicians’ perceived reluctance to take a decision on the issue on Lorand’s psychological health. From the outset of the text, it is clear that Lorand has decided to end his life; the text is the story of how he brought that decision to fruition and his justification for doing so.

Published at the time that euthanasia was becoming a topic of public and parliamentary debate in Belgium, and offering insights from the perspective of a well-known figure in Belgian media, ‘Ma dernière liberté’, as a text synonymous with the life of its author, was significant in parliamentary and social debate surrounding the introduction of euthanasia legislation. The text presents, in full, Lorand’s evidence to the Belgian Senate’s hearings on euthanasia (presented via the president of the Belgian Society for the Right to Die with Dignity), his open letter to the Senatorial Commission on Assisted Dying, and his contributions to other community debates on the topic. It also makes regular reference to the legal, moral and ethical frameworks that, at the time of writing, restricted assisted dying in the country. The text makes clear that its aim is to awaken Belgian politicians – and wider society – from their apparent slumber regarding the impact of the non-legalisation of assisted dying on the citizens of their country. Following his death, Jean-Marie Lorand became a symbol of the assisted dying lobby in Belgium, assuming a similar status to Vincent Humbert (France), Piergiorgio Welby (Italy) and Ramón Sampedro (Spain).