France pushes ahead with assisted‑dying law as bishops launch prayer novena

France's Parliament is reviewing a bill that would create a right to assisted dying for patients with incurable, serious illnesses. The text entered a third reading in the National Assembly on 22 June and is slated for a vote on 30 June, with a final vote in the Assembly expected on 15 July after a brief Senate review. Lawmakers have filed roughly 1,800 amendments, and opposition parties have lodged hundreds of objections, calling the proposal an "anthropological rupture." The government, led by President Emmanuel Macron, is urging a swift passage before the summer recess.

Catholic bishops have responded by launching a prayer novena on 21 June, urging the Holy Spirit to guide lawmakers and warning that the accelerated legislative timetable is a "moral imprudence" and a "disrespect for democracy." Bishop‑led appeals quote Pope Leo emphasizing the protection of life from conception to its natural end. Civil society groups, including the French Society for Support and Palliative Care and the Alliance Vita movement, have organised rallies and demonstrations in Paris, stressing that the bill could undermine palliative care.

The debate intertwines ethical, medical and political dimensions, with critics highlighting the need for robust palliative services and transparent safeguards before any changes to end‑of‑life legislation are enacted.