French Parliament Approves Right to Die Legislation

The French Parliament has definitively adopted a law creating a right to "aid in dying" for patients with incurable, life-threatening conditions. The legislation is expected to take effect early next year.

Key points

• The National Assembly passed the bill with 291 votes in favor and 241 against during its fourth reading.
• The law requires patients to be adults with an incurable, life-limiting disease and the capacity to express a free and informed will.
• Patients are generally expected to self-administer the lethal substance, with medical assistance permitted only if they are physically unable to do so.
• The government plans to refer the legislation to the Constitutional Council to review its compliance with individual liberty and human dignity principles.
• The French Church has publicly criticized the decision, describing it as a grave rupture in the country's history.

Why it matters

This legislation marks a historic shift in French end-of-life policy, fulfilling a long-standing promise by President Emmanuel Macron to establish a new national model for assisted dying.