France’s National Assembly gave final approval Wednesday to a bill allowing adults with incurable illnesses to receive lethal medication, the culmination of years of debate over end-of-life care.
The lower house of parliament approved the measure in a 291-241 vote after backing it in three previous readings. The vote completed parliament’s work on the legislation announced by French President Emmanuel Macron more than three years ago.
“In 2022, I committed to opening this path with the French people,” Macron said in a message posted on X. “With seriousness, with humility, and with full respect for our democracy, that commitment has been fulfilled.”
The Bill’s Strict Conditions
The proposed measure primarily provides for medically assisted suicide, allowing patients to receive and self-administer lethal medication under strict conditions. Only people whose physical condition prevents them from doing so would be allowed to receive assistance from a doctor or nurse.
Patients seeking to end their lives must:
· Be at least 18 years old
· Be French citizens or legal residents
· Have a serious and incurable illness that is life-threatening
· Be in an advanced or terminal stage
· Experience pain that can’t be relieved or is unbearable
· Seek lethal medication of their own free will
Psychological suffering alone would not qualify a person for medically assisted dying. People with severe psychiatric disorders or neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s also would not be eligible.
Patients would initiate the request, have it reviewed by health professionals within 15 days, and then confirm it after a period of reflection lasting at least two days. If approved, they could take the lethal medication at the time and place of their choice, including at home or in a health care facility, in the presence of loved ones.
France’s national health insurance system would cover all associated costs.
Public Support and Opposition
A 2023 report found that most French people are in favor of legalizing end-of-life options, with opinion polls showing support increasing over the past two decades.
The Association for the Right to Die With Dignity said the law would allow people “to choose to end unbearable suffering, freely and with full awareness.”
Opponents argue the measure could pressure older people and those living with illness or disabilities. The anti-euthanasia group Alliance Vita said that “presenting death as a desirable solution can never be an acceptable response to suffering and is contrary to human dignity.”
What Happens Next
The Senate, the upper house where conservatives hold a majority, rejected the bill. However, under France’s legislative process, the National Assembly has the final say when the two houses disagree.
Senate President Gérard Larcher and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said they would refer the bill to the Constitutional Council, which will have up to a month to determine whether it complies with the Constitution. The law would only take effect once that review has been completed.
The Broader Context
France, a traditionally Catholic nation, has grappled with legal, medical, moral, and religious questions about end-of-life options. Many French people have traveled to neighboring countries where medically assisted suicide or euthanasia is legal.
End-of-life options are also being debated in the United Kingdom, where a bill to legalize assisted dying in England and Wales will formally return to Parliament on September 11.
In Germany, parliament’s lower house considered two proposals in 2023 to regulate assisted dying and rejected both of them.
The Bottom Line
France’s National Assembly has approved an assisted-dying bill allowing adults with incurable illnesses to receive lethal medication under strict conditions. The bill passed 291-241 and now heads to the Constitutional Council for review. It does not allow euthanasia, but provides for medically assisted suicide with a two-day reflection period. Public support is high, but opponents argue it could pressure vulnerable people.
