France’s National Assembly Abolishes ‘Sitting and Standing’ Voting Method
Thanks to the efforts of French politician and wheelchair rider Sébastien Peytavie, the National Assembly has discontinued its par assis et levé (“sitting and standing”) voting method because it excludes people who are unable to stand.
Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of the National Assembly, said afterward on X, “Adopted unanimously! Voting by sitting and standing is eliminated from the National Assembly. A step forward for accessibility and equality among all members of parliament. Every vote counts, without exception. Thank you to the rapporteur @speytavie for your commitment.”
According to news reports from outlets including AP, the National Assembly’s remaining voting methods include electronic voting, using paper ballots, and raising hands. The National Assembly is the lower house of French Parliament.
Peytavie, a wheelchair rider since childhood, is a clinical psychologist who has advocated for improved funding and access to wheeled mobility in France. He was a member of the wheelchair rugby team who won the French Wheelchair Cup in 2016.
MS Patients in England, Wales to Get Access to At-Home Medication
Patients in England and Wales who are living with active relapsing/remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) will be given the option of taking the drug Cladribine as oral medication at home, rather than needing to travel to medical facilities for injections or transfusions of the drug.
The Multiple Sclerosis Trust, an advocacy organization based in southeastern England, reported on March 12 that the option is also being considered in Northern Ireland and Scotland.
“As different disease-modifying drugs (DMDs) have been developed for MS over recent years, they have been licensed with different eligibility criteria,” the Multiple Sclerosis Trust announcement said. “This left loopholes that made it hard for neurologists to prescribe treatments for some people with MS within NHS [National Health Service] guidelines. Today’s announcement means that some people with active relapsing MS will now have more options to choose from. For people who are unable to take some DMDs, or have faced side effects or breakthrough activity while taking them, this could mean that they still have a highly effective treatment option available.”
The BBC reported the NHS was the first health-care system in Europe to offer the at-home dosing option.
