“The National Assembly’s vote on legislation concerning the development of palliative care and assisted dying is an important step,“ President Emmanuel Macron said on X after 305 lawmakers approved the legislation and 199 voted against.
Macron has insisted that any authorisation to choose death should be limited to people with incurable illnesses and intense physical or psychological pain.
Some conservative groups oppose the law and Macron has said he could put the deeply divisive topic to a vote by referendum.
Until now, French patients wishing to end their lives have had to travel abroad, including to neighbouring Belgium.
All parties in parliament have allowed their lawmakers a free vote on the issue.
The bill is widely referred to as focusing on “end of life” or “aid in dying“ in the French debate, rather than “assisted suicide” or “euthanasia”.
The bill brought by Macron ally Olivier Falorni would allow medical staff to help “a person gain access to a lethal substance when they have expressed such a wish”.
Health Minister Catherine Vautrin said at the weekend that the “French model” of assisted dying would be “strict and closely supervised”.
The goal was “to reconcile the autonomy of the individual with the solidarity of the nation”, he said.
Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, a devout Catholic, said Tuesday that he would abstain if he were a deputy because of lingering “questions”.
Current French legislation allows passive euthanasia, such as withholding artificial life support, and since 2016 doctors have also been authorised to induce “deep and continuous sedation” for terminally ill patients in pain.
Vautrin said she hopes that the Senate will begin examining the issue this year and submit its suggested changes back to the National Assembly in early 2026.
France holds presidential elections in 2027 in which Macron cannot stand after serving two consecutive terms.
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