{"id":1715,"date":"2026-07-15T06:08:36","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T06:08:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=1715"},"modified":"2026-07-15T06:08:36","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T06:08:36","slug":"frances-national-assembly-will-give-final-approval-to-assisted-dying-bill-after-years-of-debate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=1715","title":{"rendered":"France\u2019s National Assembly will give final approval to assisted-dying bill after years of debate"},"content":{"rendered":"
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PARIS (AP) \u2014 France\u2019s National Assembly is set to give final approval Wednesday to a bill allowing adults with incurable illnesses to receive lethal medication, the culmination of years of debate<\/span> over end-of-life care.<\/p>\n

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The lower house of parliament is widely expected to approve the measure after backing it in three previous readings, completing parliament\u2019s work on the legislation announced by French President Emmanuel Macron over three years ago<\/span>.<\/p>\n

The proposed measure primarily provides for medically assisted suicide<\/span>, by allowing patients to receive and self-administer lethal medication under strict conditions. Only people whose physical condition prevents them from doing so would be allowed to receive assistance from a doctor or a nurse.<\/p>\n

The Senate, the upper house where conservatives hold a majority, rejected the bill. Under France\u2019s legislative process, however, the National Assembly has the final say when the two houses of parliament disagree.<\/p>\n

Senate President G\u00e9rard Larcher has said he will refer the bill, once adopted, to the Constitutional Council, which will have up to a month to determine whether it complies with the Constitution. The law would only enter into force once that review has been completed. <\/p>\n

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The bill sets strict conditions<\/h2>\n

Patients seeking to end their lives would have to be at least 18 years old and either French citizens or legal residents of France.<\/p>\n

A doctor would first have to consult a team of health care professionals and then confirm that the patient has a serious and incurable illness that is life-threatening. The patient must be in an advanced or terminal stage, experiencing pain that cannot be relieved or is unbearable, and seeking lethal medication of their own free will.<\/p>\n

Lawmakers specified that psychological suffering alone would not qualify a person for medically assisted dying.<\/p>\n

People with severe psychiatric disorders or neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer\u2019s would not be eligible.<\/p>\n

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Patients would initiate the request, to be reviewed by health professionals within 15 days, and then confirm it after a period of reflection lasting at least two days.<\/p>\n

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If approved, they could take the lethal medication at the time and in the place of their choice, including at home or in a health care facility, in the presence of their loved ones if they wish.<\/p>\n

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