French National Assembly approves assisted suicide bill

France is one step closer to becoming the latest nation to approve assisted suicide, as the French National Assembly overwhelmingly voted in favor of its legalization on Tuesday.

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 

• The French National Assembly voted 305-199 on Tuesday in favor of legalizing assisted suicide.

• The bill now heads to the Senate, where it is expected to take months to pass.

• French President Emanuel Macron applauded the vote, but is also encouraging French voters to support a referendum to approve assisted suicide in case the Senate does not act as quickly as he hopes.

THE DETAILS: 

The bill, which passed in a 305-199 vote, allows adults who have a “serious and incurable, life-threatening, advanced or terminal illness … characterised by entry into an irreversible process marked by worsening of the … health, affecting their quality of life” and facing “constant, unbearable physical or psychological suffering” to request assisted suicide “freely and in an informed manner.”

French President Emanuel Macron applauded the vote, saying it was an important step forward. “With respect for sensitivities, doubts and hopes, the path of fraternity that I hoped for is gradually opening up,” he said.

However, the phrasing of “psychological suffering” is particularly disturbing, as that has been used as a justification to approve assisted suicide for conditions such as autism, anorexia, and depression in other countries. A religious group, the Conference of Religious Leaders in France (CRCF), which represents the Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist communities, also opposes the bill, saying the elderly and people with disabilities would be pressured into dying.

The associations for palliative care, cancer support, and specialist nurses quickly responded in a joint statement condemning the plan to approve assisted suicide. “[Macron] has with great violence announced a system far removed from patients’ needs and health workers’ daily reality, which could have grave consequences on the care relationship,” the statement read, adding that France should instead be focusing on improving palliative care, which would actually allow people to “die with dignity.”

The bill will now be sent to the Senate, where it is expected to pass.

THE BACK STORY:

Last year, Macron celebrated the vote to make abortion a constitutional right by announcing that he would next pursue legalizing assisted suicide. Yet he refused to call it assisted suicide or euthanasia, instead arguing it should be called “aid in dying … because it’s simple and humane.” This is a common euphemism among the assisted suicide lobby, meant to obscure the horrific reality of what they are advocating for.

Previously, Macron sent a letter to a man trying to kill himself, saying he “personally supports” his quest to die, even though the man was not dying, but merely disabled.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

It could take months, if not longer, for the Senate to approve the assisted suicide bill, but it is expected to do so. Regardless, Macron is also encouraging French voters to take matters into their own hands by legalizing assisted death through a referendum if the French parliament does not act as quickly as he hopes.

Health Minister Catherine Vautrin said she hopes that the Senate will begin reviewing the bill this year and will submit its suggested changes back to the National Assembly in early 2026.

“I want this bill to get a final vote by 2027 which is still possible,” she said.

In 2027, France will hold a presidential election in which Macron is ineligible after serving two consecutive terms.