Douleur et droit : quelles évolutions en dix ans ?

“Pain is not inevitable”, was the initial postulate for the first antipain campaign in France. Since that time, much progress has been made, and with the March 4, 2002 law on patients' rights, the underlying spirit of laws and regulations concerning the management of pain was clearly put forward: “Each person has the right to receive care to relieve pain”. Patients' rights are thus put forward, in opposition to professional duties. Healthcare professionals have a legal obligation to take into consideration patients' suffering and to try to relieve such suffering. Other court decisions could be upcoming based on this same reasoning.