Opponents express concern that susceptible individuals might feel compelled to end their lives.
The French National Assembly has passed a contentious bill legalizing physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill adults, despite significant disagreement in a nation with strong Catholic roots.
Lawmakers in the lower house voted 305 to 199 in favor of the legislation, which has the support of President Emmanuel Macron. The bill will now be considered by the Senate before returning to the National Assembly for a second vote. Supporters are hopeful it will be enacted by 2027.
France currently permits passive euthanasia, which includes measures such as withdrawing life support and administering deep sedation before death.
According to the proposed law, patients meeting specific criteria could request medication to end their lives. They would administer the drug themselves or, if physically unable, have it administered by a doctor or nurse. To qualify, individuals must be over 18, be French citizens or residents, and suffer from an irreversible, advanced, or terminal condition causing constant, unbearable pain. People with severe psychiatric disorders or neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s disease would be excluded.
Each case would be evaluated by a medical team. Following a period of consideration, the patient could receive the medication at home, in a care facility, or in a hospital.
The government has characterized the bill as “an ethical response to the need to support the sick and the suffering,” stating that it is “neither a new right nor a freedom… but a balance between respect and personal autonomy.” Macron has celebrated the vote as “an important step” toward a more compassionate approach to end-of-life care.
A separate bill guaranteeing access to palliative care was approved without opposition.
The French proposal is more restrictive than laws in countries like Belgium and the Netherlands, where euthanasia – the administration of a lethal injection by doctors at the patient’s request – has been legal since 2002 and has been extended to minors. Similar laws are in effect in Spain, Portugal, Luxembourg, Canada, Australia, and Colombia. Medically assisted suicide, in which patients self-administer prescribed lethal medication, is legal in Switzerland and several U.S. states.
Right-to-die advocates have welcomed the legislation, although they view it as relatively limited. “We’ve been waiting for this for decades,” said Stephane Gemmani of the ADMD association.
Critics caution that the definitions within the law are too broad and could potentially allow assisted dying for patients who could live for several years. Some are concerned that the bill may compromise medical ethics, degrade standards of care, and put vulnerable people at risk of subtle pressure to end their lives.
“It would be like a loaded pistol left on my bedside table,” a 44-year-old woman with Parkinson’s disease told a protest outside parliament, according to the BBC.
Earlier this month, French religious leaders issued a joint statement condemning the “dangers” of an “anthropological rupture.” Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau wrote on X this week that it is “not a bill of fraternity but a bill of abandonment.”