Mr. Delfraissy praises the cautious approach to the right to die.

Paris – July 16, 2026: Jean-François Delfraissy, chairman of the French National Ethics Committee, described the bill on the right to assisted dying, finally passed by parliament, as a cautious attempt to address citizens’ questions. There is no clear right or wrong answer to this issue, the physician explained. It lies between the individual’s right to make decisions about the end of life and society’s duty of solidarity with those who particularly need protection.

On Wednesday, July 15, the National Assembly passed the bill in its final reading with 291 votes in favor, 241 against, and 29 abstentions. After being rejected several times by the Senate, the National Assembly thus exercised its final decision-making authority. The vote concludes a lengthy parliamentary process marked by major disagreements between the two chambers, unsuccessful mediation attempts, and several renewed readings.

The bill creates a right to receive assistance in dying under strictly defined conditions. It applies to adults with a serious and incurable illness whose prognosis is threatened by the disease and who are in an advanced or terminal stage. Further requirements are unbearable physical or psychological suffering, or suffering that cannot be controlled by treatment, as well as the ability to express a free and fully informed wish.

In principle, the person concerned is expected to administer the lethal substance themselves. If they are physically unable to do so, another person may administer it under certain conditions. A physician decides on the request in accordance with a prescribed procedure involving consultation with colleagues. The bill also provides for oversight mechanisms after implementation. Minors and people unable to express a free and fully informed wish are excluded from the planned eligibility.

Delfraissy’s assessment highlights the institutional core of the conflict. In Opinion No. 139 of 2022, the National Ethics Committee had already considered a limited path to active euthanasia under strict conditions to be ethically acceptable. At the same time, it stressed that such a path would be responsible only if accompanied by the expansion of reliable palliative care, effective pain management, and protection against social or family pressure.

Regarding this second pillar, parliament had already strengthened it through the law of May 26, 2026, on equal access to support and palliative care. The political approach therefore follows the idea that new individual options should not become a substitute for medical and social care. Whether it works in practice will depend heavily on the availability of palliative care in each region and on the resources of the healthcare system.

Before promulgation, a review by the Constitutional Council is still pending. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu intends to request a review of three points: the length of the withdrawal period, provisions concerning adults under protection, and the application of freedom of conscience in medical and social welfare institutions. The passage of the bill is therefore a decisive procedural step in parliament, but it does not yet mean that it will enter into practical application.