France's Constitutional Council Validates End-of-Life Assistance Law

France's Constitutional Council has validated the core provisions of the newly passed end-of-life legislation establishing a legal framework for assisted dying under specific conditions.

Key points

• The high court issued three interpretive reserves, focusing on the conscience clause for private medical institutions and pharmacists, alongside patient curatorship or guardianship protocols.
• Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu was among the officials who had referred the legislation to the Constitutional Council for review.
• Eligible adults facing a serious, incurable condition in advanced or terminal phases with unbearable physical suffering will be permitted to receive aid to die following a mandatory waiting period.

Why it matters

This decision removes a major legal hurdle for a prominent societal reform under President Emmanuel Macron, formally embedding an active assisted dying framework into French law.