Years long debate, French version of euthanasia bill passes

Reporter Zhang Quan

On July 15th local time, the French National Assembly passed a bill called "Medical Assisted Suicide".

The bill will grant adults with incurable diseases the legal right to obtain lethal drugs to end their lives. The French national health insurance system will bear all related expenses. The bill still needs to undergo constitutional review before it can officially come into effect.

The approval of this bill marks a crucial progress in a major social reform commitment during French President Macron's tenure, and also marks the end of years of end-of-life healthcare debate. However, the bill is still controversial in French society, and the formulation of subsequent implementation details has attracted attention from all parties.

France is a traditional Catholic country that has engaged in legal, medical, ethical, and religious discussions around end-of-life choices for many years.

As the aging population in France continues to deepen and the number of patients with chronic illnesses continues to rise, the social demand for end-of-life care is becoming increasingly prominent. Previously, due to the current French law only allowing doctors to provide end-of-life sedation and palliative treatment for terminally ill patients, a large number of French terminally ill patients chose to travel to neighboring countries to legally receive medical assisted suicide services there.

A report in 2023 found that the majority of French people support legalizing end-of-life choices, and public opinion polls also show that their support has been steadily increasing over the past two decades. In this context, Macron announced this legislation three years ago, but the Senate vetoed the bill three times, and the French government ultimately handed over the decision-making power to the National Assembly. With 291 votes in favor, 241 votes against, and 29 abstentions in the National Assembly, the debate on end-of-life care that has lasted for several years has come to an end.

The bill also needs to undergo a constitutional review by the Constitutional Committee, with a focus on examining whether certain provisions comply with the principles of individual freedom and human dignity. The bill will only come into effect after the review is completed.

If the bill takes effect, France will join the ranks of the few countries that have opened up this right, with Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Canada and other countries leading the way.

According to the bill, eligible patients will be allowed to receive lethal drugs and take them themselves. Only those who are unable to complete this process on their own due to physical conditions can be assisted by doctors or nurses.