France's National Assembly is set to vote on a bill that would permit adults with incurable illnesses to take lethal medication, reflecting increasing calls for legal end-of-life options throughout Europe.
The vote, scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, marks a significant point in the debate over the sensitive issue. If a majority of lawmakers approve the bill, it will proceed to the Senate for further consideration.
The proposed law defines assisted dying as enabling individuals, under specific conditions, to use a lethal substance themselves. Assistance from a doctor or nurse would only be available to those physically unable to administer the medication themselves.
Eligibility for the measure would require patients to be over 18, and either French citizens or residents of France. A team of medical professionals would need to confirm that the patient has a severe and incurable condition in an advanced or terminal stage, is experiencing unbearable and untreatable pain, and is voluntarily seeking lethal medication.
Individuals with severe psychiatric conditions or neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, would not qualify under the proposed legislation.
The person would initiate the request for lethal medication and confirm the request after a period of reflection.
If approved, a doctor would then deliver a prescription for the lethal medication, which could be taken at home, at a nursing home or a health care facility.
In parallel, another bill on palliative care meant to reinforce measures to relieve pain and preserve patients' dignity will also be put to a vote Tuesday.
A 2023 report indicated that most French citizens back legalizing end-of-life options, and opinion polls show growing support over the past 20 years. Initial discussions in parliament last year were abruptly interrupted by President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to dissolve the National Assembly, plunging France into a months-long political crisis.
Months-long debate still ahead
A definitive vote on the measure could take months to be scheduled amid France’s long and complex legislative process. The National Assembly has the final say over the Senate.
Earlier this month, Macron suggested he could ask for French voters to approve the measure via referendum if parliament discussions get off track.
Activists supporting the change have criticised the complexity and length of the parliamentary process that they say is penalising patients waiting for end-of-life options.
Many French people have traveled to neighbouring countries where medically assisted suicide or euthanasia are legal.
The Association for the Right to Die with Dignity (ADMD) has called on French lawmakers “to respect the French who want the same right that our Dutch, Belgian, Luxembourgian, Swiss, Spanish, Portuguese neighbors have.”
French religious leaders issued this month a joint statement to denounce the bill, warning about the “dangers” of an “anthropological rupture.” The Conference of Religious Leaders in France (CRCF), which represents the Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim and Buddhist communities, said the proposed measures risk exerting pressure on older people and those with illnesses or disabilities.
Similar talks in the UK
The debate in France comes as similar talks are ongoing in the UK, where lawmakers are debating a bill to help terminally ill adults end their lives in England and Wales after giving it initial approval in November.
Medically assisted suicide involves patients taking, of their own free will, a lethal drink or medication that has been prescribed by a doctor to those who meet certain criteria. Euthanasia involves doctors or other health practitioners giving patients who meet certain criteria a lethal injection at their own request.
Assisted suicide is allowed in Switzerland and several US states. Euthanasia is currently legal in the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Canada, Australia, Colombia, Belgium and Luxembourg under certain conditions.
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