France prepares to pass controversial euthanasia law.
The French National Assembly is expected to vote on a bill supporting conditional suicide on July 15 (local time). This is considered one of the most significant social reforms in the country since the 2012 same-sex marriage law.
If the vote is favorable, France will officially join the select group of countries worldwide, such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, and Canada, that have legalized the right to assisted suicide. However, the path to bringing the bill initiated by President Emmanuel Macron to fruition still faces legal obstacles and fierce opposition from conservatives.
Speaking to AFP before the vote, Olivier Falorni, the bill's author, former MP and mayor, described the journey as "a marathon full of obstacles." Today's vote is the culmination of a fierce struggle and debate that has lasted for 14 years in the French parliament.
Although it easily passed the National Assembly, the bill was resolutely rejected by the Senate (where the right wing holds a majority). Ultimately, the French government had to exercise its constitutional power to allow the National Assembly to have the final say without Senate approval.
However, the passage in the Lower House is not the end of the story. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced that he had asked the French Constitutional Council – the highest judicial body – to review the entire law immediately after the vote. Because the Senate refused to debate the bill, the text has yet to reconcile the expectations of its supporters and the concerns of its opponents. With its binding power, the Constitutional Council can reject certain provisions or even declare the entire law invalid in exceptional circumstances.
The new bill establishes a strict legal framework for the right to assisted suicide in France. Accordingly, the right to assisted suicide applies only to adults with incurable diseases, who are capable of making their own decisions voluntarily and transparently, and who are experiencing uncontrollable or unacceptable physical pain despite treatment. Doctors will assess the patient's condition before a panel of experts reviews the case. The final decision rests with the doctor, but the patient has the right to withdraw their consent at any time.
In most cases, patients will self-administer the lethal medication. Medical personnel only provide direct physical support to those who are completely incapable of doing so themselves.
Former Health Minister Agnes Firmin Le Bodo, who drafted the 2024 bill, affirmed:"This law will be passed because it achieves the necessary balance.".
However, the opposition vowed not to accept defeat easily. MP Christophe Bentz of the far-right National Rally (RN) warned the bill was "very dangerous" and could lead to future abuses. Religious groups and organizations opposing euthanasia also planned large-scale protests outside Parliament on the day of this historic vote.
