On Tuesday, May 27, 2025, French lawmakers voted in first reading to approve a controversial bill establishing a right to assisted dying, along with a separate proposal to strengthen palliative care. The aim is to provide a legal framework for end-of-life care, balancing patient autonomy, medical support, and the preservation of human dignity.
This marks a pivotal moment in the history of patients’ rights in France. After two weeks of intense debate, members of parliament adopted two foundational texts. The first, passed unanimously, establishes an enforceable right to palliative care. The second, introduced by MP Olivier Falorni, creates a legal right to assisted dying for people suffering from serious and incurable illnesses, under strictly regulated conditions.
Access to this new right will be tightly regulated. The law sets specific eligibility criteria: the applicant must be an adult, a French citizen or a stable resident, suffering from an incurable illness in an advanced or terminal stage, with physical or psychological pain deemed unbearable.
Applicants must also be capable of clearly and freely expressing their will. Psychological suffering alone is not sufficient. Patient discernment is central to the process.
Doctors will play a key role. Once a request is submitted, a collegial consultation must be held, involving at least one specialist in the relevant illness and a healthcare professional.
Relatives or the patient’s designated trusted person may be consulted, but the final decision rests solely with the prescribing physician.
A rigorous and reversible process
The law mandates a 15-day period for medical notification, followed by a two-day reflection period. The patient can withdraw or confirm their request at any time. If confirmation occurs more than three months later, the “free and informed” nature of the decision must be re-evaluated.
By default, the lethal substance is to be self-administered by the patient, under the supervision of a healthcare professional. An exception is made for patients who are physically unable to act on their own.
The bill includes a conscience clause for doctors and nurses. Those unwilling to participate in assisted dying must refer the patient to a colleague who accepts to do so.
The text also introduces a new offense: obstructing access to assisted dying. Like the existing law for abortion access, it will be punishable by up to two years in prison and a €30,000 fine.
The second bill establishes a legally enforceable right to palliative care, along with a multi-year plan to expand services. It also provides for the creation of “support and palliative care homes” to accommodate patients who cannot or do not wish to remain at home.
These facilities will offer non-hospital medical support for people in the final stages of life.
Hailed by some as a major step toward greater patient autonomy, the assisted dying law has also raised deep concerns among many healthcare professionals, patient associations, and religious organizations. The societal debate is far from over.
According to lawmakers, this vote is only a first step, as the bill must still be reviewed by the Senate. Nonetheless, it already marks a significant shift in how French society addresses the end of life—balancing care, personal responsibility, and ethical safeguards.