France's PM Lecornu to refer assisted dying law to Constitutional Council on eve of final vote

A last-minute referral

On the eve of the final parliamentary vote, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu confirmed he will refer the assisted dying bill to the Constitutional Council. The announcement, made on 14 July 2026, targets three specific aspects of the text that have drawn persistent criticism, particularly from the right. The move was described by Le Figaro as a rare and spectacular reversal for a prime minister, coming at the end of a turbulent legislative journey.

In-depth debates took place in the National Assembly on this proposal; however, the debate in the Senate did not allow for as thorough an examination to produce a bill that meets both the aspirations of its defenders and the concerns of those worried about its implementation.

The referral follows an earlier pledge by Senate President Gérard Larcher to do the same. Lecornu's office stated the goal is to ensure the law's application respects constitutional principles, particularly human dignity.

Three flashpoints under review

The three provisions sent to the Council are the withdrawal period, the situation of protected adults, and the collective conscience clause. On the withdrawal period, Matignon wants the Council to verify whether the length of the delay respects principles of personal freedom and human dignity. Under the bill, a patient has a "reflection period of at least two days" to confirm the request for a lethal substance after the doctor's decision, a timeframe opponents consider too short.

[The referral concerns] respect, by the length of the withdrawal period, of the principles of personal liberty and human dignity.

The second point examines whether provisions for protected adults adequately guarantee free and informed consent, given their legal protection status. The third addresses the tension between individual conscience rights for medical staff and the existence of healthcare institutions whose founding mission is to accompany the dying without hastening death, and which exclude assisted dying.

A fractured parliamentary path

The bill has followed a contentious route through parliament. The National Assembly voted in favour four times, but the Senate, dominated by the right and centre, rejected the text three times. The government ultimately gave the final word to the lower house, as permitted by the Constitution. Assembly votes showed a narrowing majority: 305 to 199 in May 2025, 299 to 226 in February 2026, and 295 to 232 in June 2026.

While the left and Macronist deputies largely support the bill, and the right and far right oppose it, every group allowed its members a free vote on an issue that blends the personal and the political.

Reactions and next steps

LR senator Francis Szpiner, a vocal opponent, called the referral an admission by Lecornu that the text is "profoundly unbalanced" and would be "the most permissive in the world." Senate President Larcher had already announced his intention to refer the matter, criticising the absence of collective conscience clauses that would allow an entire institution to refuse assisted dying. "I think in this fractured country we must be careful, notably regarding conscientious objection for establishments," Larcher told Le Figaro.

I think in this fractured country we must be careful, notably regarding conscientious objection for establishments.

The Constitutional Council will now review the three provisions. The final Assembly vote is scheduled for Wednesday, 15 July 2026.