French parliament adopts assisted dying bill

ISTANBUL

The French parliament voted Tuesday in favor of an assisted dying bill.

Parliament adopted the bill in the first reading. The bills, aimed at “authorizing and supporting a person who has expressed the request to resort to a lethal substance,” passed in a 305 - 199 vote.

It is expected to be reviewed by the Senate in the fall and return to parliament in early 2026, according to the BFM TV broadcaster.

People who wish to practice the right should be at least 18 years old and have French nationality or reside in France regularly while “being capable of expressing their will freely and with full understanding," according to the bill.

The patient should also suffer from “a serious and incurable illness” that is “life-threatening, in an advanced or terminal stage," and experience "constant physical or psychological suffering related to this illness.”

Parliament also unanimously passed a bill concerning end-of-life medical support and palliative care.

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the adoption of the bills.

“The National Assembly’s vote on the texts concerning the development of palliative care and assisted dying is an important step. With respect for different sensitivities, doubts, and hopes, the path of fraternity that I had hoped for is gradually opening up,” Macron wrote on X.​​​​​​​