The French Parliament definitively approved on Wednesday a bill that guarantees the right to assisted death for adults with incurable diseases, thus culminating years of debate over a measure that has divided the country, presented in April 2024 by President Emmanuel Macron.
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The new text – approved in a fourth vote in the National Assembly with 291 votes in favor and 241 against – allows patients to administer the medication that will end their life, except when they are not physically capable of doing so, in which case a doctor or nurse may take care of it.
Among the strict criteria included in the law are: being a French citizen or residing permanently and legally in the country; suffering from a serious and incurable disease that endangers life; being in a terminal or advanced stage and experiencing physical suffering that cannot be relieved by any treatment or palliative care.
The patient must also express their wish to end their life with “full knowledge” and “freely” and “informed,” so assisted death excludes people who remain in a coma or suffer from dementia.
The law also establishes a specific protocol for the entire process, which ranges from presenting alternatives to the applicant, such as palliative care, reminding them that the process can be interrupted at any time, and consultation with other professionals during a 15-day period by the doctor handling the request, according to the TF1 Info channel.
The legislation also includes conscientious objection by healthcare professionals, although the doctor in question who refuses to carry out the process must refer the patient to another colleague willing to do so.
Until now, the Claeys-Leonetti law adopted in 2016 allowed deep and continuous sedation for people with terminal illnesses who had a short life prognosis. The National Assembly had approved the bill three times by a wide majority, although in the Senate, which has a conservative majority, it suffered several setbacks and reversals, with changes and reforms that have prolonged the approval of the law.
France thus joins European countries that authorize, under certain conditions, assisted suicide or euthanasia, such as Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Canada, or Uruguay. The reform was promoted by Macron with the launch of a citizens’ convention that gave the ‘green light’ to establish “help to die.”
The legislation will now have to be sent to the Constitutional Council, where it will be decided whether certain clauses contained in the law, such as the minimum reflection period of two days from when the patient is granted approval for assisted death, are compatible with the “principles of individual freedom and dignity.”
Macron stated in a message published on social media that “with a matter as intimate as serious, which touches life, suffering, and dignity,” there is only one possible method, which is “to take the time for listening, dialogue, and debate.”
“In 2022, I committed to opening this path with the French. With seriousness, humility, and full respect for our democracy, this commitment has been fulfilled. The referrals to the Constitutional Council will follow their course according to the principles of our rule of law,” he said.
The president expressed his gratitude to the parliamentarians for allowing “a constructive and respectful debate.” “I also want to salute all those who participated in this collective reflection: the citizens of the citizens’ convention, caregivers, associations,” he specified.
“I have a thought for all those who have personally addressed me, who have shared their stories, doubts, convictions, and hopes. Their testimonies have deeply nourished this text,” he concluded.
For its part, the French Episcopal Conference has denounced that the measure represents a “serious rupture” in the country’s history, as it breaks “with the long tradition of care whose purpose is to relieve suffering and accompany each person until the natural end of their life.”
“The effects of this legislation have not yet been fully measured, but they are already being felt. Our relationship with vulnerability, old age, disability, and illness will change. The bond of trust between generations, as well as between caregivers, patients, and their families, will weaken, and the social perception of fragility will be harmed,” it indicated.
It also argued that “the poorest will probably be the first to pay the consequences.” “To avoid being a burden to their children or grandchildren, elderly people in precarious situations may feel pressured to die. Furthermore, the experience of other countries shows that the criteria for accessing assisted death tend to expand, to the detriment of palliative care,” it argued.
