French MPs complete third reading of assisted dying bill, final vote set for Tuesday

A legislative milestone

Deputies concluded the third examination of the proposition de loi on Saturday 27 June, after a week that saw more than 1,800 amendments examined and only 23 adopted. The atmosphere in the hemicycle was described as heated, at times literally, the air conditioning failed repeatedly during the summer debates. The vote on Tuesday will likely be the final text, as the Senate is set to reject it for a third time and deputies can no longer introduce amendments at the definitive reading stage.

What the bill creates

The legislation, a flagship promise of Emmanuel Macron’s second term, establishes a right to an ‘aide à mourir’ for certain patients suffering from a serious and incurable illness. The terms ‘suicide assisté’ and ‘euthanasie’ are absent from the final draft, a semantic choice that has angered opponents who argue the law is euphemistic.

Opposition lines

Conservative and far-right lawmakers, though not exclusively, led the resistance. LR deputy Thibault Bazin said he left the debates ‘with a certain vertigo’, judging the criteria ‘not strict enough’, the procedure ‘not sufficiently supervised’, deadlines ‘too short’, and guarantees for protected persons ‘insufficient’. RN deputy Christophe Bentz urged hesitant colleagues ‘that by the precautionary principle and the principle of prudence, this text must not be voted’.

Not strict enough, not sufficiently supervised, deadlines too short, and insufficient guarantees for those under protection measures.

Government and rapporteur response

Rapporteur Philippe Vigier (MoDem) defended the work: ‘The National Assembly rose to the task’, adding his thoughts were with ‘the patients who were waiting so much for a new right to die’. The government and co-rapporteurs aimed to preserve the balances from the previous Assembly reading to secure the broadest possible majority.

The National Assembly rose to the task. My thoughts are with the patients who were waiting so much for a new right to die.

What happens next

Following the Tuesday vote, the bill moves to a definitive adoption deadline of 15 July. With the Senate’s expected rejection, the Assembly will have the last word. If adopted, France will join several other European nations with legislated end-of-life options, though the exact eligibility criteria and procedural safeguards remain subject to review before the final text is published.