Tactless cocktail parties planned as France legalizes 'right' to assisted death

France’s National Assembly voted for the fourth and final time to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide this week, enshrining it as a right within French law. However, the French Prime Minister and the President of the Senate have referred provisions of the bill to the Constitutional Council, which has a month to debate its constitutionality before the law is enacted, thus creating some uncertainty.

Key Takeaways:

• The vote on Wednesday was the fourth time the National Assembly had approved the text, but with each successive review, the voices in support of the bill decreased.

• The majority in France’s Senate repeatedly voted against the bill, and last week refused to even review the text for a third time.

• In order to pass the bill, Macron’s government invoked article 45 of the Constitution that gave the National Assembly the power to have the final say on the matter.

• The bill contains no conscience protections for those opposed to participating in the process of assisted dying. The language of the bill is ambiguous and permissive, and is likely to create abuses and uncertain situations.

• The Constitutional Council has a month to debate its constitutionality before the law is enacted.

The Details:

After months of debate and failed attempts by opponents to place guardrails around the legislation, the bill on euthanasia and assisted suicide passed by a slim majority of 291 votes in favor, with 241 votes against, and 29 abstentions. 

The vote on Wednesday was the fourth time the National Assembly had approved the text, but with each successive review, the voices in support of the bill decreased:

• May 2025: 305 votes for, 199 against

• February 2026: 299 votes for, 226 against

• June 2026: 295 votes for, 232 against

The majority in France’s higher chamber, the Senate, repeatedly voted against the bill, and just last week refused to even review the text for a third time. The Senate promptly voted against it on July 7, calling for the government to stop the legislative process to better address concerns surrounding the fast-moving bill and find consensus. 

But the Macron government’s eagerness to deliver on a promise of reform during his second term drove the vote on Wednesday before the summer recess. 

With two deeply divided chambers, no consensus, and blocked votes between the Senate and the National Assembly, Macron’s government invoked article 45 of the Constitution that gave the National Assembly the power to have the final say on the matter. 

This life-or-death issue of euthanasia profoundly divides French society, and opponents of the bill sought to deliver a referendum directly to the people — a move that was initially proposed by President Macron himself early on but was subsequently rejected by the Constitutional Council in June.

Zoom In:

Outcry over Celebrating Death

Many opponents to the bill felt outraged by the attitude of presumed victory by their counterparts prior to the vote as manifested by a planned reception to celebrate the passage of the law. 

As reported by Le Figaro, the minister in charge of government relations with Parliament, Laurent Panifous, organized an event for the evening of July 15 to celebrate the adoption of the euthanasia bill. He invited citizens who were part of France’s Citizen Convention on end-of-life care as well as the rapporteurs on the bill to the celebration. 

While Mr. Panifous was more subdued on the subject, the Economic, Social, and Environmental Council (CESE), which advises lawmaking bodies, was not, inviting the guests to a “celebratory cocktail” and offering taxpayer-funded transportation and overnight accommodation to the guests.

Bruno Retailleau, leader of Les Républicains (LR), criticized the event and the left’s repeated catchphrase “dying with dignity” by saying on social media:

“Where is the dignity in celebrating with champagne a law dealing with the suffering and death of the most vulnerable? This isn’t a football match!” 

Mr. Retailleau was not alone in his thinking. The public outrage was so strong that Mr. Panifous rescheduled the celebration to avoid any “ambiguity” as to the true nature of the event.

Challenging the Constitutionality of Assisted Death

The public outrage is fueled by the feeling that there has been a deliberate lack of exchange and consideration for palliative care professionals in addressing such an anthropologic rupture to French culture. 

Ségolène Perruchio, doctor and president of the French Society for Palliative Care (SFAP), criticized the text saying, “There was no attempt at compromise, no listening to the concerns expressed by caregivers and by certain patient associations.”

In her view, “[t]he parliamentary process has not worked: the Senate has rejected this text three times without any compromise being found.”

But there is one last resort for opponents to the bill. The Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, and the President of the Senate, Gérard Larcher, have referred parts of the text to the Constitutional Council. 

The Council is the same body that rejected the parliamentarians’ bid for a referendum but is now set to review the bill again for constitutionality with a particular focus on three points:

• the short withdrawal period for individuals (set at two days in the current text)

• weak safeguards for legally incapacitated adults

• the absence of a conscience clause for healthcare facilities that refuse to be involved assisted dying

The Prime Minister's office states that it is trying to ensure "the application of the law (...) can be carried out in full respect of the principles that our Constitution guarantees and, in particular, human dignity."

What It Means:

France has now joined the eight European countries that have already legalized either euthanasia (lethal injection by someone other than the patient) or assisted suicide (lethal injection by the patient himself). 

French lawmakers are preparing to leave on summer holiday relieved that the job is done, but much of French society is still fighting under the weight of too many unanswered questions.

Critics point out the inherent flaws of the text, and the ambiguous and permissive language that will create abuses and uncertain situations where the liberty of one person to take his own life violates the dignity of another to respect it. 

The absence of an assiduous conscience clause means that individuals who refuse to participate in the fatal procedure will still have to violate their consciences by referring the patient to someone who will assist in the death. 

It also means that institutions whose very mission is to protect and accompany life to its natural end are in danger of having to close their doors to an increasingly aging population in France.   

The Bottom Line:

The Constitutional Council is expected to reach a decision by August 15. The legal body could uphold the current text, clarify and institute a more restrictive reading of the text, or strike down certain provisions of the text entirely. A sliver of hope remains for the defense of life.