The following reflections have to do with the end of lifeand are presented here as a lecture addressed tohigh school and preparatory school student attending a Parisian institute. They were developed with theaim of finding where a current citizens' debate called for by the executive branch and timeless, age-oldquestions might overlap. When we begin to ponder ultimates such as birth or death, we owe it to ourselvesto take into consideration all the nuances involved; this is the only way to process the complexity of thesetopics. The goals of this course are, first of all, to situate the current debate within the ethical and juridicalhistory of France, and then proceed towards making necessary conceptual distinctions. Finally, we willconsider, as much as possible, what is at stake with the options at hand. (c) 2022 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.