The Assembly passed the legislation by a narrow margin. 305 deputies voted in favor, while 199 voted against.

The proposal divided members of different parties. The far-left La France Insoumise (LFI) and the Greens almost unanimously supported the initiative. Among the Socialists, 66 deputies voted in favor, 4 opposed it, and 2 abstained. Seven deputies from the right-wing Republicans also supported the law.

In a post on platform X, President Macron emphasized that “the National Assembly’s vote on laws concerning the development of palliative care and assistance in dying is an important step.”

“With respect for sensitivities, doubts, and hopes, a path of fraternity is gradually opening, one I have wished for. With dignity and humanity,” he added.

A wave of public reactions

Following the deputies’ vote, a storm broke out among the French public.

Claire Thoury, representing the Economic, Social, and Environmental Council (CESE), called it a “historic step for democracy.”

The Association for the Right to Die with Dignity (ADMD) stated that soon, the end of a human life would come “without unrelieved suffering and unnecessary agony.”

The French Association for Palliative Care (SFAP) argued, however, that the law “will fundamentally change the mission of caregivers for the terminally ill.”

Representatives of the French Bishops’ Conference, in a letter to lawmakers, stated that the bill constitutes a “crime against dignity, a crime against fraternity, a crime against life.”

The Conference of Religious Leaders of France (CRCF), which brings together representatives of various faiths, stressed that the proposed amendment is a “serious abuse” of the law.

“Under the guise of compassion and control, this text enacts a radical change: it legally introduces the possibility of administering death—through assisted suicide or euthanasia—deeply disrupting the foundations of medical and social ethics. This is not progress but an ethical, social, and medical regression. It is a choice of humanity over abandonment, of relationship over loneliness, of care over resignation,” it stated.

What does the law say?

If the initiative is approved by the Senate in the fall, starting in 2026, France will join the ranks of European countries that have legalized assisted dying—understood as providing a terminally ill person with a substance leading to death.

The bill also allows, under certain conditions, for euthanasia, meaning that the substance can be administered by a doctor.

In both cases, this applies to patients suffering from incurable, advanced illnesses causing persistent pain that cannot be alleviated.

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