The legislation, which has faced fierce opposition from the clergy and right-wing parties, will now be reviewed by the Constitutional Council<\/p>\n
France\u2019s lower chamber of parliament has given final approval to a controversial bill legalizing euthanasia and assisted suicide. The legislation, which has been criticized by the clergy and was rejected three times by the conservative Senate, is now in the hands of the country\u2019s top constitutional body.
\nThe left-leaning National Assembly greenlit the bill on Wednesday 291 votes to 241, capping what its author, former lawmaker Olivier Falorni, called a legislative \u201cmarathon with hurdles.\u201d\u00a0
\nSupport for the bill in the chamber has steadily eroded with each reading: The Assembly passed the text 305-199 in May 2025, 299-226 in February 2026, and 295-232 on June 30.<\/p>\n
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Macron\u2019s final gift: A law for death<\/p>\n
The Senate, which is dominated by conservatives, rejected the bill several times, and with no compromise reached in a joint committee, the government invoked the National Assembly\u2019s constitutional right to have the final word on the matter.
\nThe bill grants adults who are French citizens or legal residents and suffer from a serious, incurable, and life-threatening illness in an advanced or terminal stage the right to request lethal medication if their pain is unbearable or resistant to treatment.<\/p>\n
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Psychological suffering alone does not qualify and should be linked to the disease. Applicants must also be capable of expressing their will \u201cfreely and in an informed manner,\u201d and their discernment cannot be \u201cseriously impaired.\u201d The patient is also subject to a mandatory reflection period.
\nOn the day the substance is administered, a doctor must verify that the patient still wants to proceed; if any pressure on the patient is detected, the procedure must be suspended and reported to the state prosecutor. Patients would normally self-administer the drug, with a doctor or nurse stepping in \u2013 subject to a conscience clause \u2013 only if they are physically unable.
\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron, who has backed the reform for years, wrote on X: \u201cIn 2022, I committed to opening this path with the French people. With seriousness, with humility, and with full respect for our democracy, that commitment has been fulfilled.\u201d\u00a0
\nThe Association for the Right to Die With Dignity said the legislation would allow people \u201cto choose to end unbearable suffering, freely and with full awareness.\u201d Its president, Jonathan Denis, said the law \u201ccreates a new right [but] never forces anyone to exercise it,\u201d while ensuring that every person can \u201chave their wishes respected.\u201d
\nHanane Mansouri, an MP from the right-wing UDR group, warned that the legislation \u201cis gradually reversing our scale of values.\u201d The Bishops\u2019 Conference of France said the bill \u201cmarks a grave rupture in the history of our country,\u201d adding that \u201cin choosing to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide, deputies have written into French law the possibility of causing death.\u201d
\nThe law cannot take effect yet, as Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu referred it to the Constitutional Council. The council is now expected to rule on whether the two-day reflection period before administering the lethal substance respects personal freedom and human dignity, whether adults under legal guardianship can give free and informed consent, and how doctors\u2019 right to refuse participation squares with hospitals that opt out of offering assisted dying.
\nThe council has up to one month to rule if the government does not require urgency, and has the right to strike down individual provisions, forcing parliament to rewrite and revote on them, or annul the law. Only after the council\u2019s say can the legislation be enacted by Macron.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The legislation, which has faced fierce opposition from the clergy and right-wing parties, will now be reviewed by the Constitutional Council France\u2019s lower chamber of parliament has given final approval…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37169","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t