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France passes assisted dying
French lawmakers adopted a bill that will create a legal right to assisted dying for adults with incurable illnesses, with the legislation passed on Wednesday in France’s parliament.
“French lawmakers have adopted a bill that will create a legal right to assisted dying for adults with incurable illnesses, following an intense ethical and political debate”
The National Assembly adopted the text by 291 votes to 241, and President Emmanuel Macron said on X, “On this issue, which is as personal as it is serious, and which concerns life, suffering and dignity, there was only one possible approach: to take the time to listen, engage in dialogue and hold a debate,”.
The bill would allow a person to receive a lethal substance under strict conditions, including when the substance could be self-administered or administered by a doctor or nurse if the patient is physically unable to do so.
Supporters say the legislation will give people facing unbearable suffering at the end of life greater autonomy and control over how they die, and Anne Raynaud said, “People will be able to decide for themselves when and how they want to die once their suffering has become unbearable and can no longer be relieved,”.
Opponents, including sections of the far-right National Rally party and religious groups, argued that legalising assisted dying could risk the process being abused, and the Catholic Church is among those that have opposed the legislation.
Constitutional review looms
The National Assembly’s 291-241 vote does not mean the bill immediately becomes law, because there will be a review to determine if it complies with the French Constitution.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced the legislation more than three years ago, and he said in a message posted on X, “In 2022, I committed to opening this path with the French people,”.
Yael Braun-Pivet, the president of the National Assembly, said, “This has been the longest debate since the 1980s,” as France’s end-of-life options continue to be debated alongside existing legislation that allows doctors to keep terminally ill patients sedated before death but stops short of assisted suicide and euthanasia.
The bill sets strict conditions including that patients seeking to end their lives would have to be at least 18 years old and either French citizens or legal residents of France, and it would exclude cases where psychological suffering alone qualifies a person for medically assisted dying.
The measure also faces opposition framed around vulnerability, with an open letter to Macron from the anti-euthanasia group Alliance Vita saying, “every effort must be made to ensure that people who are suffering have immediate access to palliative care and support.”
Europe’s patchwork of rules
As France moves through its constitutional review, other European countries already authorize or are considering euthanasia and assisted suicide under different frameworks, including the Netherlands and Belgium.
In the Netherlands, euthanasia and assisted suicide have been tightly regulated since April 2002, and in Belgium the request for euthanasia must be voluntary, thoughtful, repeated, and free from external pressure, according to a May 2002 text.
Luxembourg decriminalized euthanasia as well as assisted suicide in 2009, while Switzerland bans euthanasia but allows assisted suicide, and Austria legalized assisted suicide in December 2021 for people with a serious or incurable disease.
Spain adopted in March 2021 a law allowing euthanasia and medically assisted suicide, and in Portugal the decriminalization of euthanasia adopted in May 2023 has not come into effect after the Constitutional Court rejected certain articles in April 2025.
In Slovenia, the Slovenian Parliament legalized assisted suicide in July 2025 following a favorable referendum, but a new referendum held in November after campaigning by the Catholic Church and conservative opposition led to the suspension of this law for at least a year.
