France legalises assisted dying: National Assembly votes 291-241 for landmark end-of-life law

A decisive vote after years of debate

After more than three years of public consultation and a roller-coaster legislative journey, the lower house of the French parliament adopted the "right to help in dying" by 291 votes to 241 on 15 July 2026. President Emmanuel Macron, who had championed the reform from the start of his second term, said he was grateful to "all parliamentarians who made a constructive and respectful debate possible". The text had been approved by the Assembly in two earlier readings but was blocked each time by the conservative-majority Senate; the third reading gave the Assembly the final word. A complementary law on equitable access to palliative care was enacted on 26 May 2026.

Strict eligibility and safeguards

The law allows a terminally ill adult to self-administer a lethal substance under medical supervision. If physical incapacity prevents this, a doctor or nurse may intervene. To qualify, a patient must be a French citizen or legal resident, aged at least 18, and suffering from a severe, incurable illness in an advanced or terminal phase with unbearable pain that cannot be relieved. Psychological suffering alone does not justify the request. A panel of doctors must confirm the diagnosis and the patient must make a voluntary, lucid request in writing or orally. Two days of reflection are required, and the patient may withdraw at any moment. Medical staff can invoke a conscientious objection clause.

Constitutional review looms

Despite the government’s backing of the reform, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced on the eve of the vote that he would send the law to the Constitutional Council for review. The Council’s ruling is binding and could invalidate parts of the text, such as the two-day reflection period or the criteria for eligibility. Lecornu argued that the Senate’s examination "did not allow an equally thorough analysis" that balances supporters’ expectations with opponents’ concerns about how the law will be applied. The move created rare friction between the president and his prime minister, with Macron reportedly pressing for the vote to be held before the summer recess.

Political and moral fractures

Party discipline was lifted; each deputy voted according to conscience, exposing deep splits within several groups. Far-right Rassemblement National deputy Christophe Bentz said the bill "intends to legalise assisted suicide" and that his heart was "saddened, oppressed and wounded". He warned against "precipitating death and thus snatching life away before its time". Rapporteur Philippe Vigier defended the text as "balanced" and centred on the patient, challenging opponents with a hypothetical: "Imagine a palliative care patient who wants medical help to die. If the centre refuses on grounds of conscientious objection, the patient is transferred 40 kilometres by ambulance to die there. Where is the dignity in that?" The Catholic Church in France called the vote "a serious rupture in the country’s history".

A long-sought social reform

Macron launched a citizens’ convention on end-of-life issues in 2022. In February 2023 the convention recommended introducing "active help to die". The legislator who tabled the bill, MoDem deputy Olivier Falorni, recalled that the word "euthanasia" was deliberately avoided because "it has been tarnished by history due to its use by the Nazi regime", while "assisted suicide" generates confusion. France thus joins a small group of nations that have legalised some form of assisted dying, including Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Canada and Uruguay.