🏛️ End-of-life bill advances in French National Assembly

Oneliner

The French National Assembly has approved the creation of a 'right to assistance in dying' during a committee review on 4 February 2026, following Senate rejection. The bill aims for final adoption before summer 2026, with ongoing debates over terminology. The government seeks to conclude discussions ahead of the presidential election, reflecting the contentious nature of assisted dying legislation in France.

Key points

• The National Assembly approved the creation of a 'right to assistance in dying' in committee.
• The bill aims for final adoption before summer 2026, despite Senate rejection.
• Debate continues over terminology, with opponents calling for clearer language on euthanasia.
• The government seeks to conclude discussions before the upcoming presidential election.

Links

• Le Figaro: Fin de vie : après le rejet du Sénat, la loi sur l’aide à mourir revient ce mercredi à l’Assemblée
• Le Figaro: Fin de vie : mais pourquoi tant de précipitations à l’Assemblée nationale ?
• BFMTV: Fin de vie: les députés valident en commission la création d'un "droit à l'aide à mourir"
• Le Figaro: Fin de vie : les députés valident en commission la création d’un «droit à l’aide à mourir» que le Sénat avait rejeté

Facts

• The bill was initially launched by President Emmanuel Macron in 2022.
• The National Assembly passed the bill in first reading with 305 votes to 199.
• The committee review included over 600 amendments.
• A full chamber debate is scheduled for 16 February, with a vote on 24 February.

Quotes

• This is a long-awaited bill and I will do everything so that it can be adopted definitively before summer 2026 — Yaël Braun-Pivet
• The expression 'assistance in dying' is by nature euphemistic. It diminishes the significance of what is at stake — Annie Vidal
• People are exasperated by the length of the process. There have been debates for years — Olivier Falorni

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