French National Assembly Approves Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Patients Under Strict Criteria

France has moved significantly closer to legalising assisted dying after the National Assembly voted to establish the right, following a lengthy process of debates and amendments to the bill.

The initiative was supported by 291 lawmakers, while 241 voted against it. The bill passed the National Assembly despite having been rejected three times previously by the Senate, the upper chamber of parliament, BBC reports.

The law cannot yet be implemented immediately, as some of its provisions will be subject to review by France’s Constitutional Council. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has asked the institution to assess whether the bill’s provisions comply with the Constitution.

The bill stipulates that assisted dying would be available only to adult French citizens suffering from a “serious and incurable” illness that poses a threat to life and has reached an advanced or terminal stage.

In addition, the illness must cause persistent physical or psychological suffering considered unbearable or incapable of being relieved through medical treatment.

The patient must make their request to a doctor freely and clearly. After carrying out the necessary consultations, the doctor must make a decision within 15 days.

If the request is accepted, the patient will undergo a two-day reflection period. The lethal substance must then be administered by the patient themselves. If they are physically unable to carry out the act, the procedure may be performed by a doctor or nurse.

Even on the day the procedure takes place, the doctor must again confirm the patient’s final decision.

With the approval of this initiative, France could join several European countries that have decriminalised different forms of assisted dying. The Netherlands and Belgium legalised the practice in 2002, while Switzerland has long allowed assisted suicide under certain circumstances.

Debate on the issue has been intense in France, where the bill has been opposed by the Catholic Church and part of the medical community. Although the National Assembly has approved it several times, the Senate, controlled by right-wing parties, has rejected it three times.

Polls show, however, that most French people support allowing terminally ill patients to choose between palliative care and assisted dying.

President Emmanuel Macron has long supported the adoption of an end-of-life law, but the progress of the initiative was delayed by the snap elections of 2024.

Lecornu has asked the Constitutional Council to focus particularly on three elements of the bill: the two-day reflection period for patients, the right of people under legal protection to give free consent, and the role of healthcare institutions providing palliative care.

If the bill passes all constitutional checks, France will become another European country to authorise assisted dying only in limited circumstances and under strict medical supervision.