France approves a controversial assisted‑dying law – the National Assembly voted 291 to 241 to grant terminal‑ill adults a legal route to end their suffering under strict safeguards, marking a landmark moment after three previous defeats in the Senate.
Under the bill, an adult with an incurable, life‑threatening condition must first voluntarily affirm their intent to the attending physician, who will then review the case within 15 days. Following a mandatory 48‑hour period of reflection, the patient may administer a lethal agent themselves; if that is not possible, a doctor or nurse may carry out the final step. The patient’s decision will be verified by the physician on the day of death.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu will now forward selected provisions of the bill to France’s Constitutional Council, a nine‑member body that confirms whether a law conforms to the constitution. He has highlighted three focal points for scrutiny: the two‑day reflection period, safeguards for patients with impaired judgment, and the role of hospices and palliative care centres in offering this service.
The law is growing more contentious as it confronts the French Catholic Church and a segment of the medical profession that fear the possibility of misuse. Yet opinion polls reveal that a majority of the French public support giving terminally ill patients the choice between extended palliative care and assisted dying.
France is now following in the footsteps of the Netherlands and Belgium, which legalized assisted dying in 2002 for those in 'unbearable suffering' from incurable conditions. Switzerland has long allowed assisted suicide under non‑selfish circumstances, while several other European states have recently enacted similar legislation.
A comparable debate is underway in the UK. The bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales stalled earlier this year but is slated to return to Parliament in September – see the BBC coverage here.
