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The French parliament has voted to grant individuals in the final stages of terminal illness the option of assisted dying.
The bill passed its first reading with 305 votes in favor and 199 against, initiating a lengthy legislative process that will see the bill move to the Senate and return to the lower house for a second reading.
This vote followed an emotional session during which MPs from different parties shared their personal views on this delicate topic.
Supporters of the bill claim it offers an "ethical response to the need to support the sick and suffering," while opponents, including many healthcare professionals and right-wing politicians, have voiced concerns about potential consequences.
If the legislation is approved, medical teams would determine patient eligibility for assisted dying based on strict criteria, such as being over 18, holding French citizenship or residency, and experiencing a "serious and incurable, life-threatening, advanced or terminal illness."
The proposal, known in the country as the law on "end of life" or "aid in dying," received backing from most of President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist MPs and their allies, along with support from the left, while most right and far-right members opposed it.
A Socialist party MP, Stéphane Delautrette, stated, "The French people are ready for this, and we owe them this rendezvous with history."
He emphasized that the laws would reflect the parliament's commitment to significant social progress, akin to the right to abortion and the abolition of the death penalty.
Conversely, Patrick Hetzel, a deputy from the centre-right Les Républicains, warned that it would be “illusory and dangerous to debate the legalization of euthanasia without ensuring comprehensive access to palliative care first.”
Prime Minister François Bayrou, who is a devout Catholic, expressed having "questions" and would choose to abstain if he were in parliament, but Macron noted that France needs this legislation because "there are situations you cannot humanely accept." While the bill is under citizen debate, advocates for the right to die have welcomed the measure, albeit describing it as limited in scope.
Stéphane Gemmani of the ADMD association remarked, “It’s a foot in the door, which will be crucial for what comes next.”
He added, “We’ve been waiting for this for decades. Hopefully, France will gradually align itself with other European nations. Forcing people to travel to Belgium or Switzerland and pay €10,000 or €15,000 is just wrong.”
Opinion polls indicate that a majority of the French population supports assisted dying, though France has been slower than many of its European neighbors to legalize it. Other countries are actively discussing the issue, including the UK, where an assisted dying bill is currently before parliament.
Active euthanasia, where a caregiver facilitates death at the request of the patient, and assisted dying, where doctors enable patients to end their lives themselves, have been legal in the Netherlands and Belgium since 2002.
Both nations impose similar conditions, requiring a doctor and an independent expert to concur that the patient's suffering is unbearable and without hope an extension that now includes children under 12.
Luxembourg decriminalized active euthanasia and assisted dying in 2009. While active euthanasia remains illegal in Switzerland, assisted dying has been permissible since the 1940s, with organizations like Exit and Dignitas assisting numerous Swiss nationals, residents, and others in ending their lives.
Austria legalized assisted dying in 2022, and Spain enacted a law in 2021 that allows euthanasia and medically assisted dying for individuals with severe and incurable illnesses, contingent on Austheir capability, consciousness, a written request, subsequent confirmation, and approval by an evaluation committee.
