Members of the French National Assembly have backed a bill legalizing medical assistance in dying. The bill was passed by a majority vote - 305 "for" and 199 "against" - and will now be considered by the Senate.
President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the decision. He called the vote an important step, adding on social media: “With all due respect to the sensitivities, doubts and hopes, the path to the fraternity I wanted is gradually opening up. With dignity and humanity.“
If the law is approved, France will be one of the few countries in Europe with such legislation.
To benefit from the possible option, patients must be over 18 and French citizens or residents.
A team of medical specialists will have to certify that the patient has a serious and incurable illness “in an advanced or terminal stage“, that they suffer from unbearable and incurable pain and that they are seeking lethal drugs of their own free will.
Patients with severe mental illnesses and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease will not be eligible for assisted dying.
The person must submit a request for lethal drugs and confirm the request after a period of reflection. If approved, a doctor would write a prescription for a lethal drug that could be taken at home, in a nursing home or in a medical facility.
A 2023 report found that a majority of French citizens support legalizing end-of-life options, with opinion polls showing growing support over the past 20 years.
Previously, many French people who decided to end their lives traveled to neighboring countries where euthanasia is legal.
A final vote on the measure could take months amid a long and complicated process in France.