France's lower house adopts historic assisted dying bill

France’s National Assembly on Wednesday adopted the final text of a landmark bill that legalizes assisted dying for adults under strict conditions. The legislation allows patients suffering from an incurable illness who are capable of expressing free and informed consent and experiencing physical pain that is either unresponsive to treatment or unbearable to receive a lethal substance. The substance can be self-administered or, if the patient is physically unable, administered by a doctor or nurse.

The path to approval was arduous, described by the bill’s author Olivier Falorni as "a marathon with hurdles." The bill passed the Assembly last year but was rejected by the Senate. The government used a constitutional provision to allow the lower house to have the final say without Senate assent. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has now referred the law to the Constitutional Council for review. The Council can declare the law invalid or express reservations about specific provisions.

Right-wing figures from the Les Républicains party, including Senate Speaker Gerard Larcher and former Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, have strongly opposed the bill.

Under the law, eligibility is determined by a physician, followed by a panel assessment, but the final decision rests with the doctor. Patients may withdraw consent at any time. The law is reserved for adults who are capable of making a free and informed choice, suffering from an incurable condition, and experiencing physical pain that is either untreatable or unbearable if treatment is refused or stopped.

France has an aging population and a strong Catholic tradition, which has long influenced debates on end-of-life issues. Current law allows doctors to keep terminally ill patients sedated before death but stops short of assisted suicide or euthanasia. Many French citizens have traveled to neighboring countries where these options are legal.

Similar debates are ongoing in the United Kingdom, where a bill on assisted dying in England and Wales is set to return to Parliament on September 11.

President Emmanuel Macron, who promised the reform during his 2022 re-election campaign, has described it as one of the most important social changes since same-sex marriage was legalized in 2012.