France's parliament backs assisted dying bill after years of debate
France's National Assembly has given its definitive backing to legislation granting terminally ill adults the right to end their lives with medical assistance, bringing to a close a protracted and often fraught political battle. The vote on Wednesday was 291 to 241 in favor, according to multiple sources.
The bill, which has been years in the making and was an election promise made by President Emmanuel Macron, will now be referred to the Constitutional Council for review. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu intends to refer the text to France's highest constitutional authority, with his office explaining that the referral followed the lack of proper debate in the right-leaning Senate, which meant the text fell short of a version that could satisfy both the bill's supporters and those anxious about how it would be put into practice.
Coverage comparison
The three sources — Deutsche Welle, France 24, and RFI — all report the bill's approval and its referral to the Constitutional Council. They agree on the vote tally and the mechanism used to bypass the Senate: the government allowed the lower house to have the final say without the upper chamber's consent, a procedure permitted under the constitution.
Deutsche Welle focuses on the law's scope and the procedural path ahead, noting that the law applies to French citizens or legal residents with a life-threatening illness in an advanced or terminal phase. France 24 emphasizes the law's establishment of a right to assisted dying subject to conditions, while RFI provides the most detailed account of the political battle, quoting the bill's author, Olivier Falorni, describing it as "a marathon with hurdles."
The sources also agree on the Constitutional Council's powers: its rulings are binding, and it can declare the law invalid in extreme cases or express reservations about particular provisions.
Key claims
The law would establish a right to assisted dying for adults who are terminally ill. Patients must be able to express their free and informed choice, and must be examined by a physician and assessed by a panel of experts. The patient would administer a lethal substance themselves, with exceptions for those who are physically unable, according to France 24 and RFI.
The law applies to French citizens or legal residents with a life-threatening illness in an advanced or terminal phase, causing constant physical suffering. Deutsche Welle notes that psychological suffering alone is not a qualifying factor, disqualifying those with severe psychiatric disorders or neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.
The bill cleared the Assembly in a vote last year but was rejected by the Senate, leading the government to invoke a constitutional rule to bypass the upper chamber, which is dominated by conservatives. President Macron, who pledged such reform during his re-election campaign in 2022, welcomed what he called lawmakers' considered and respectful debate on the issue.
Opposition has been fiercest among senior figures on the traditional right, drawn largely from Les Républicains, the party that controls the Senate, including Senate speaker Gérard Larcher and former interior minister Bruno Retailleau, both firmly opposed to the legislation.
The law's author, Olivier Falorni, a former lawmaker-turned-mayor, told French news agency AFP that the process was "a marathon with hurdles." He described the vote as "the culmination of a struggle" after "14 years of parliamentary battles on this issue."
Despite the parliamentary approval, the law is not yet settled. The Constitutional Council's review is expected at a later date, and its rulings are binding. It can strike down the whole law in extreme cases or raise objections to particular provisions.