French lawmakers approve assisted-dying bill for some incurable patients
The measure would allow eligible adults in France to obtain a lethal substance under strict conditions if the Constitutional Council clears it.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
3 min read
France’s National Assembly has approved legislation that would create a legal right to assisted dying for some adults with incurable illnesses, Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters reported. The vote could place France among a small group of countries that permit assisted dying, though the measure may still face review by the Constitutional Council.
Lawmakers in the lower house passed the bill on Wednesday by 291 votes to 241, according to the news agencies. France’s Senate, where conservatives hold a majority, had rejected the measure, but the National Assembly has the final say under the process described by Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters.
Who would qualify
The bill would allow an eligible person to receive a lethal substance after making a request, according to Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters. The person could take the substance themselves, or a doctor or nurse could administer it if the patient is physically unable to do so.
Access would be limited to adults who are French citizens or legal residents in France, the agencies reported. Patients would also have to have an incurable, life-threatening illness in an advanced or terminal phase.
The measure would apply only where the patient has constant physical or psychological suffering tied to the illness, according to Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters. The patient would also have to be capable of making a “free and informed” decision.
Macron says he kept a pledge
President Emmanuel Macron, who had backed opening a path toward the measure, said on X that the issue required time for listening, dialogue and debate because it concerned “life, suffering and dignity.”
Macron said he had promised in 2022 to pursue the issue with the French public and had honoured that pledge “with seriousness, humility and full respect for our democracy,” according to Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters.
If the Constitutional Council approves the bill, France would join countries including the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and Canada in allowing assisted dying, the agencies reported.
Supporters and opponents split over safeguards
Supporters said the bill would give people near the end of life more control over their deaths while preserving strict limits, according to Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters. Anne Raynaud, a representative of France’s association for the right to die in dignity, said people would be able to choose when and how to die once their suffering became unbearable and could no longer be eased.
Opponents warned that legalising assisted dying could create room for abuse, the agencies reported. Opposition came from religious groups and parts of the far-right National Rally party, while the Catholic Church also opposed the legislation.
One bishop threatened to deny communion to lawmakers who supported the bill, according to Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters. Bruno Retailleau, identified by the agencies as a conservative presidential candidate, criticised the measure on X, saying a society based on fraternity “supports, protects, and cares for people” and does not abandon the most fragile.
The bill could still be examined and changed by the Constitutional Council, according to the agencies. Its approval would mark a major shift in French law after a long ethical and political debate over end-of-life care.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.