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French lawmakers adopt landmark assisted dying bill

By Reuters Reuters
The National Assembly is lit with the blue, white and red colours of the French flag in Paris, France, November 19, 2015, to pay tribute to the victims of a series of deadly attacks on last Friday in the French capital. REUTERS/Charles Platiau
The National Assembly is lit with the blue, white and red colours of the French flag in Paris, France, November 19, 2015, to pay tribute to the victims of a series of deadly attacks on last Friday in the French capital. REUTERS/Charles Platiau Charles Platiau Reuters

PARIS - French lawmakers adopted on Wednesday a bill that will create a legal right to assisted dying for adults with incurable illnesses, capping an intense ethical and political debate.

The legislation will, under strict conditions, allow a person who requests it to receive a lethal substance. The substance could be self-administered or, if the person is physically unable to do so, administered by a doctor or nurse.

Access to assisted dying will be restricted to adults who are French citizens or legal residents in France, and who suffer from a serious and incurable illness that is life-threatening and in an advanced or terminal phase, experience constant physical or psychological suffering linked to that condition, and are able to express a free and informed choice.

(Reporting by Makini Brice, Dominique Vidalon, Ingrid Melander)

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect

This story was originally published July 15, 2026 at 10:33 AM.

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