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Bridget Sielicki
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French bishops to Catholic-based health institutions: Prepare to refuse 'assisted dying'
In a letter addressed to Catholic healthcare institutions, French bishops urged the leadership of medical teams to prepare to refuse participation in euthanasia and assisted suicide.
Though France's 'assisted dying' bill contains a 'conscience clause' for faith-based institutions, they are not allowed to refuse participation if no other local institutions offer it.
French bishops addressed this on November 8, stating that Catholic institutions must quickly update their "legal and administrative framework" which "will allow you to refuse an act of ‘assisted dying’ in your establishments."
The bishops also plan to release a “comprehensive doctrinal and pastoral document for healthcare facility managers, caregivers, chaplains, and pastoral workers" next year.
The aid in dying bill, which the French National Assembly passed in July 2026, is set to go into effect in January 2027.
The law was ratified by the French Constitutional Council in August, essentially affirming the constitutionality of the bill while also allowing for the insertion of a conscience clause for faith-inspired institutions that “allows health establishments not to implement ‘assisted dying’ within them, if it is contrary to their statutes or their project.”
But this is only a partial protection, because these private facilities cannot refuse participation if there are no other local institutions that offer assisted suicide.
On November 8 following their Autumn Plenary Assembly in Lourdes, French Bishops took the opportunity to address this fast-approaching legal reality for Catholic-inspired medical institutions in France.
The bishops reminded Catholic healthcare providers that assisted suicide is a ‘grave rupture’ in a French culture with “a long tradition of care whose purpose is to alleviate suffering and accompany each person until the natural end of life.”
They also urged the leadership and healthcare teams to make concrete plans to fight back and to assert their legal right to refuse participation in such immoral acts as euthanasia and assisted suicide:
It is important to prepare your institutional and legal framework to benefit from the provision issued by the Constitutional Council, which will allow you to refuse an act of ‘assisted dying’ in your establishments. It is therefore urgent that your legal and administrative framework be updated (charters, statutes, internal regulations, etc.).
They stressed that “in Belgium, a type of establishment clause provided for by the 2002 law was repealed in 2020. One of the arguments was the poor management of this establishment clause. This point therefore needs to be addressed with rigor and expertise.”
The bishops’ letter also served to encourage and assure institutions of the support of the Catholic Church in their research:
We support you in your research and creativity to remain faithful to the charism that guides you to accompany and respect life to the very end, while fighting against pain and paying attention to families, sometimes deeply affected by complex end-of-life situations.
Lastly, the bishops relayed that a “comprehensive doctrinal and pastoral document for healthcare facility managers, caregivers, chaplains, and pastoral workers [would] be published in 2027.”
While facing potentially complex and confusing scenarios ahead, Catholic institutions are backed by the prayers, gratitude, and support of the clergy.
They are encouraged by the words of Pope Leo XIV during his visit to Lourdes: “I call upon the entire healthcare community to remember the profound meaning of its vocation: to care for the suffering person, not to end their life. Yes, dear friends, be passionate servants of life!”
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
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French bishops to Catholic-based health institutions: Prepare to refuse 'assisted dying'
In a letter addressed to Catholic healthcare institutions, French bishops urged the leadership of medical teams to prepare to refuse participation in euthanasia and assisted suicide.
Though France's 'assisted dying' bill contains a 'conscience clause' for faith-based institutions, they are not allowed to refuse participation if no other local institutions offer it.
French bishops addressed this on November 8, stating that Catholic institutions must quickly update their "legal and administrative framework" which "will allow you to refuse an act of ‘assisted dying’ in your establishments."
The bishops also plan to release a “comprehensive doctrinal and pastoral document for healthcare facility managers, caregivers, chaplains, and pastoral workers" next year.
The aid in dying bill, which the French National Assembly passed in July 2026, is set to go into effect in January 2027.
The law was ratified by the French Constitutional Council in August, essentially affirming the constitutionality of the bill while also allowing for the insertion of a conscience clause for faith-inspired institutions that “allows health establishments not to implement ‘assisted dying’ within them, if it is contrary to their statutes or their project.”
But this is only a partial protection, because these private facilities cannot refuse participation if there are no other local institutions that offer assisted suicide.
On November 8 following their Autumn Plenary Assembly in Lourdes, French Bishops took the opportunity to address this fast-approaching legal reality for Catholic-inspired medical institutions in France.
The bishops reminded Catholic healthcare providers that assisted suicide is a ‘grave rupture’ in a French culture with “a long tradition of care whose purpose is to alleviate suffering and accompany each person until the natural end of life.”
They also urged the leadership and healthcare teams to make concrete plans to fight back and to assert their legal right to refuse participation in such immoral acts as euthanasia and assisted suicide:
It is important to prepare your institutional and legal framework to benefit from the provision issued by the Constitutional Council, which will allow you to refuse an act of ‘assisted dying’ in your establishments. It is therefore urgent that your legal and administrative framework be updated (charters, statutes, internal regulations, etc.).
They stressed that “in Belgium, a type of establishment clause provided for by the 2002 law was repealed in 2020. One of the arguments was the poor management of this establishment clause. This point therefore needs to be addressed with rigor and expertise.”
The bishops’ letter also served to encourage and assure institutions of the support of the Catholic Church in their research:
We support you in your research and creativity to remain faithful to the charism that guides you to accompany and respect life to the very end, while fighting against pain and paying attention to families, sometimes deeply affected by complex end-of-life situations.
Lastly, the bishops relayed that a “comprehensive doctrinal and pastoral document for healthcare facility managers, caregivers, chaplains, and pastoral workers [would] be published in 2027.”
While facing potentially complex and confusing scenarios ahead, Catholic institutions are backed by the prayers, gratitude, and support of the clergy.
They are encouraged by the words of Pope Leo XIV during his visit to Lourdes: “I call upon the entire healthcare community to remember the profound meaning of its vocation: to care for the suffering person, not to end their life. Yes, dear friends, be passionate servants of life!”
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
Bridget Sielicki
·Human Interest
Angeline Tan
·International
Angeline Tan
·Politics
Bridget Sielicki
·International
Nancy Flanders
·Politics
Nancy Flanders
·Human Interest
Joanna Calhoun
·International
Joanna Calhoun
·Issues
Joanna Calhoun
·International
Joanna Calhoun
·International
Joanna Calhoun
·