After years of extensive debate and several amendments, the French National Assembly approved a law regulating euthanasia under strict conditions. On Wednesday, deputies voted 291 to 241 in favor of the draft, which had previously failed multiple times in the second chamber of Parliament.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu will next present parts of the law to the Constitutional Council before it can take effect. The new legislation permits euthanasia for adult French citizens suffering from a “severe, incurable, and life-threatening” illness that is in an “advanced or terminal stage.” Crucially, the illness must be accompanied by constant, intolerable, or therapy-resistant physical or psychological pain.
Patients must freely express their wish for death to a doctor. Following this, the physician decides on the matter after a consultation period of 15 days. After a mandatory two-day reflection period, the patient must administer the lethal substance themselves. Only if they are unable to do so may a doctor or nurse administer it. Furthermore, the patient’s decision must be confirmed again by the doctor on the day of the procedure.
