On the 15th, the French National Assembly passed a bill allowing adults with incurable diseases to obtain lethal medication under strict conditions in order to end their own lives.
The National Assembly passed the measure with 291 votes in favor and 241 against. This vote means that the legislative process formally initiated by President Emmanuel Macron over three years ago has now been completed in parliament.
France thus joins a small group of countries granting this right, including Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Canada, and Uruguay.
According to statistics, currently about 300 million people worldwide live in regions where some form of "assisted death" is permitted. Some countries allow euthanasia under specific conditions, while others—including some U.S. states—permit physician-assisted suicide.
Euthanasia generally refers to doctors or other healthcare professionals actively taking measures to painlessly end the life of a terminally ill patient in severe suffering. Assisted death refers to individuals taking action to end their own lives with medical guidance or help.
Lethal Drugs Generally to Be Self-Administered by Patients
The French bill mainly involves medical assistance in suicide—that is, eligible patients can obtain lethal medication and self-administer it. Only those physically unable to do so may be assisted by a doctor or nurse.
Applicants must be at least 18 years old, and must be French citizens or legally residing in France.
Before approving an application, doctors must consult a medical team and confirm that the applicant is suffering from a serious and incurable life-threatening illness. Patients must be at an advanced or terminal stage of disease, experiencing unrelievable or unbearable suffering, and must autonomously and voluntarily request to end their lives.
However, purely psychological suffering does not qualify a person for medically assisted death. People with severe mental illnesses or neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s do not meet the application criteria.
The entire application process must be initiated by the patient. Medical personnel are required to complete an assessment within 15 days, after which the patient must observe at least a two-day cooling-off period, and re-confirm their decision. If approved, the patient can decide the time and place to self-administer the lethal drugs, including at home or in a medical facility. If they wish, relatives may accompany them.
On the day of administration, doctors or nurses must again confirm that the patient still wishes to proceed and remain nearby to intervene in case of any unexpected events.
The French national health insurance system will cover all related costs.
France is a traditionally Catholic country and has long debated end-of-life choices from legal, medical, ethical, and religious perspectives.
Currently, French law allows doctors to perform continuous sedation for terminal patients in their final stage of life to reduce suffering, but does not allow assisted suicide or euthanasia. Because such choices have not been available in France, many French citizens have traveled to neighboring countries seeking legal medical assisted death services.
However, before this new right is formally established, several key steps remain.
The French Constitutional Council is expected to issue a ruling around August 15. According to the Prime Minister's office, the Council will focus on whether some clauses comply with the "principle of individual liberty and human dignity," including a provision that stipulates patients must undergo at least a two-day reflection period after receiving doctor approval for assisted death.
Afterwards, Macron is to formally promulgate the law, and the French government will then need to formulate detailed implementation measures.