French MPs have voted to create a right to assisted dying under strict conditions, after years of parliamentary wrangling. The National Assembly backed the bill by 291 votes to 241, despite three previous rejections by the right-wing-dominated Senate.
The legislation would allow French adults with a “serious and incurable” life-threatening illness that is in an “advanced or terminal stage” to request assistance in dying. Patients must be suffering unbearably, either physically or psychologically, and must be capable of making the decision “freely and with full knowledge of the facts.” Cases involving psychological suffering alone are excluded.
“French MPs voted to legalise assisted dying for terminally ill adults, setting the stage for a constitutional challenge.”
Under the proposed rules, a patient would first “freely manifest his or her intention” to a doctor, who would then make a decision within 15 days. After two days of reflection, the patient would have to administer a lethal substance themselves; if unable, a doctor or nurse could do it. The patient’s decision must be verified by the physician on the day.
Health professionals who are morally opposed to the procedure may refuse to administer the injection but must refer the patient to someone else who can.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, a former conservative now allied with President Emmanuel Macron, said he would refer parts of the bill to France’s Constitutional Council for a legal review, to ensure it complies with constitutional principles including human dignity. He also voiced concerns about adults under legal guardianship – roughly 900,000 people – requesting assisted dying, arguing they may already be deemed incapable of making certain decisions.
Macron, who promised the legislation as part of his 2022 re-election campaign, has long backed end-of-life reform. The issue has been highly contentious politically, drawing opposition from the Catholic Church and parts of the medical profession, although opinion polls suggest a large majority of French people support giving terminally ill patients a choice between palliative care and assisted dying.
The vote means France could join several other European countries that have decriminalised assisted dying in some form, including the Netherlands, Belgium, and Switzerland. A similarly lengthy debate has been taking place in the UK, where a bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales stalled earlier this year and is set to return to Parliament in September.