The French National Assembly voted 291 to 241 on Wednesday to adopt legislation creating a legal right to assisted dying for adults with incurable illnesses, completing a parliamentary process that had been blocked three times by the conservative-dominated Senate. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu immediately announced he would refer parts of the text to the Constitutional Council, a review that could delay the law’s entry into force by up to a month and may require amendments. The vote fulfils a 2022 campaign promise by President Emmanuel Macron, who described the outcome as the result of “listening, dialogue and debate” and a step taken “with seriousness, humility and full respect for our democracy.”

Under the approved text, access is restricted to patients aged at least 18 who are French citizens or legal residents, suffer from a serious and incurable life-threatening illness in an advanced or terminal phase, and experience constant physical or psychological suffering that is either resistant to treatment or unbearable. Psychological suffering alone does not qualify, and people with severe psychiatric disorders or neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s are explicitly excluded. The patient must be able to express a free and informed choice, and after a doctor’s approval—which must be given within 15 days following a collegial assessment—a minimum two-day reflection period is required before the lethal substance is administered. The default is self-administration; a doctor or nurse may intervene only if the patient is physically incapable. The legislation includes a conscience clause for healthcare professionals and obliges the national health insurance system to cover all associated costs.

The bill’s passage exposed deep political and societal divisions. The Senate, where the right-wing Les Républicains hold a majority, rejected the text on three occasions, arguing it risked pressuring the elderly and disabled and undermined the principle of protecting life. In the National Assembly, centrist and left-wing groups largely supported the measure, while the far-right Rassemblement National and most conservative deputies voted against. The Catholic Church in France campaigned vigorously against the law, with one bishop threatening to deny communion to lawmakers who backed it. Medical bodies and disability rights organisations also voiced opposition, warning of a slippery slope and inadequate safeguards for vulnerable individuals. Polls, however, consistently show that a clear majority of the French public supports legalising assisted dying.

The Constitutional Council will now examine three specific provisions: the two-day reflection period, which opponents consider too short; the capacity of adults under legal protection to give free and informed consent; and the obligation of healthcare facilities to provide assisted dying services even when their primary mission is palliative care. The Council’s ruling is binding and could strike down parts of the law or demand revisions. Once the constitutional review is complete, the president can promulgate the text, after which government decrees will define practical details such as the substances to be used and the operation of oversight mechanisms. France will then join a small group of European nations—including the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Switzerland—that have legalised some form of assisted dying, though each operates under a distinct regulatory model. The French approach, deliberately avoiding the terms “euthanasia” and “assisted suicide” in the legislative text, reflects an effort to forge a national compromise on an issue that continues to generate intense ethical debate across the continent.