France's National Assembly votes on assisted‑dying legislation
The French Parliament is about to adopt a law granting a conditional right to assisted dying. Deputies examined the proposal for a third reading on 30 June 2026 and will hold a final vote on 15 July, after the Senate – which has rejected the text twice – is expected to oppose it again. The bill would allow terminally ill patients to request a lethal medication, provided they first receive palliative care and the request undergoes collegial review. Amendments restored physicians to the process after an initial exclusion and removed criminal provisions modelled on abortion law.
The debate has drawn strong ethical and medical concerns. Public health expert Jean‑François Dodet warned that the law could become a social norm without sufficient palliative support. Religious groups and several right‑wing politicians have staged protests, including a demonstration of 4,000‑5,000 people in Paris and a prayer campaign that attracted over 40,000 Christians urging deputies to reject the measure. The Church of France described the legislation as an "anthropological shift" comparable to a reversal of the death‑penalty abolition.
The proposal is a flagship of President Emmanuel Macron’s second‑term agenda, with supporters arguing it offers dignity to patients in unbearable suffering, while opponents claim it undermines the principle of non‑maleficence in medicine.