France takes the first step toward legalizing euthanasia and assisted suicide

ParisIf there are no setbacks, France will join the list of countries that have legalized euthanasia in the coming months. The National Assembly voted this Tuesday in favor of the "end-of-life law" by 305 votes in favor, 199 against, and 57 abstentions. After years of debate and political back-and-forth, there has been consensus among some parties for the country to adopt legislation on the matter, but not everything is done. For the law to become a reality, the text still needs to be voted on in the Senate—where there is a conservative majority that could still introduce amendments—and then returned to the Assembly for a final vote.

The text, which has enjoyed the support of left-wing, center- and center-right parties, authorizes euthanasia and assisted suicide, but is more restrictive than the Spanish law. In France, only people suffering from a serious, incurable, and fatal illness "in an advanced stage" will be eligible. That is, chronic illnesses are excluded. The Spanish law, on the other hand, allows euthanasia to be requested for serious and incurable illnesses that do not lead to death, provided the patient has "serious, chronic, and disabling suffering with constant and intolerable physical or psychological suffering."

Furthermore, in France, the patient must be able to express their will "freely and clearly" before practicing euthanasia or assisted suicide, a condition that also excludes diseases such as Alzheimer's or dementia and people who are in an irreversible coma.

Restrictions on euthanasia

French law will prioritize assisted suicide—where the patient administers the lethal substance themselves—over euthanasia—which is administered by a healthcare professional. In fact, even if a patient prefers a doctor to administer the substance, if they are able to do so themselves, they must do so. Euthanasia will be reserved only for cases where the patient cannot administer the substance that will cause death to themselves.

The law was an election promise by President Emmanuel Macron.who submitted his proposal more than a year agoTo get to a vote, the text had to overcome many reservations and debates, even within the parties. So much so that political groups gave their deputies a free vote. Some left-wing parliamentarians voted against it, while right-wing and far-right members voted in favor. Prime Minister François Bayrou, a center-right member, stated that he would have voted blank if he were a member of parliament, despite his party's official position being in favor of the law.