The French National Assembly voted to approve the "assisted dying" bill, allowing adults suffering from incurable illnesses to receive life-ending medication under strict conditions. This marks a significant milestone in reforming end-of-life care, a topic long debated, and is one of President Emmanuel Macron's major policy initiatives.
The French National Assembly passed the bill in its final reading with a vote of 291 to 241 after intense consideration over three sessions. This legislation has been championed by President Emmanuel Macron for more than three years.
President Macron posted on the platform X, stating, "In 2022, I promised to open this path together with the French people. Today, with seriousness, humility, and full respect for our democratic process, that promise has been fulfilled."
Yael Braun-Pivet, President of the National Assembly, said this was the longest parliamentary debate since the 1980s, reflecting that the representatives performed their duties with dignity.
The law focuses primarily on "medically assisted end-of-life," permitting patients to receive poison that they can self-administer under strict conditions: they must be at least 18 years old, French nationals or legal residents, and confirmed by a medical panel to have a severe, incurable, life-threatening illness in an advanced or terminal stage, along with unbearable physical suffering that cannot be alleviated.
The law explicitly states that "mental suffering alone" does not qualify for this right, excluding patients with severe psychiatric disorders and brain diseases such as Alzheimer's. Patients must express their wish themselves; the medical panel has 15 days to assess. If approved, the patient must undergo a reflection period of at least two days before reaffirming the decision. If the patient is physically unable to self-administer, doctors or nurses may assist. The French national health insurance will cover all related costs.
France, with its Roman Catholic cultural roots, has faced intense debates legally, medically, morally, and religiously. Although existing law allows doctors to administer sedatives to terminal patients until death, it does not cover medically assisted suicide or euthanasia, leading many French citizens to travel abroad to neighboring countries where such laws exist.
The Association for the Right to a Dignified Death (ADMD) stated that this law helps people escape unbearable suffering with freedom and full awareness, emphasizing it as a "new option right," not a mandate for everyone.
Conversely, the Alliance Vita group, opposing assisted dying, sent an open letter to Macron arguing that the state should allocate funds to palliative care instead and that presenting death as a solution contradicts human dignity.
Although the Senate, controlled by conservatives, rejected the bill, under France's legislative process, the National Assembly holds the final decision-making authority.
However, Gérard Larcher, President of the Senate, and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu have submitted the bill to the Constitutional Court for review, which will take no more than one month. The law will only come into official effect if approved by the Constitutional Court.
Currently, it is estimated that around 300 million people worldwide have access to some form of assisted dying laws. Several European countries and some U.S. states permit it under specific conditions.
The United Kingdom is currently considering similar legislation; its House of Commons has passed a bill, with plans to reintroduce it in September to prevent citizens from having to travel abroad, such as to Switzerland, to end their lives. Meanwhile, Germany's lower house rejected two assisted dying control proposals in 2023.