The French bill includes several safeguards to prevent such outcomes. To be eligible, patients must be over 18 and either French nationals or permanent residents. They must also have a “serious and incurable” illness that is both life-threatening and has reached an “advanced” or “terminal” stage.
Meanwhile, their suffering — whether physical or psychological — must be considered “unbearable” or “resistant to treatment.” Patients must be capable of giving informed consent, and must self-administer the lethal medication, unless unable to do so.
The final call is to be made by each patient’s doctor. The legislation requires that doctors consult with at least one other medical professional who specializes in the patient’s pathology, as well as with a health care worker who was involved in the person’s care.
Assisted dying is already legal in various forms in Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland. In the U.K., British MPs voted in favor of legalization in November, and the legislation is currently nearing its final phase.
The French bill will now be debated in the Senate, which is controlled by a conservative majority that could seek to amend or remove several provisions.
If the parliamentary process fails to produce an agreement between the two chambers, President Emmanuel Macron — who promised the legislation during his 2022 campaign — has suggested the issue could be put to the public via a referendum, although constitutional experts have questioned the legality of such a move.
French lawmakers also unanimously green-lit a separate bill to improve palliative care in France.