France approves law legalizing euthanasia and assisted suicide

According to the news agency France-Presse (AFP), the French law proposal establishes that the right is reserved for adults who suffer from an incurable disease, as long as they can express this need in a "free and informed" way and suffer physically.

Furthermore, the pain must be resistant to treatment or, in the patient's opinion, unbearable, in cases where he has chosen not to follow the medical procedure or to interrupt it.

Before the procedure, a doctor will be responsible for checking whether the patient meets the requirements, before a committee evaluates the criteria. Subsequently, the doctor makes the decision, and the patient can withdraw their consent at any time.

It is also established that the patient will administer the lethal substance, except in the case of those who, for physical reasons, cannot do so.

In a post on social media, French President Emmanuel Macron highlighted that "the bill on the right to assisted death has been approved".

"In this deeply personal and serious issue, which touches on life, suffering and dignity, only one approach was possible: dedicating time to listening, dialogue and debate", he stated.

In the note, Macron recalled that, in 2022, he committed "to open this path with the French people" and, "with seriousness, humility and full respect for our democracy, this commitment was fulfilled".

Now, according to Macron, the French Constitutional Court "will proceed in accordance with the principles of the rule of law."

La proposition de loi relative au droit à l'aide à mourir est adoptée.Sur cette question aussi intime que grave, qui touche à la vie, à la souffrance et à la dignite, une seule méthode était possible : prendre le temps de l’écoute, du dialogue et du débat.…

In this final vote, in the third session, the text was approved with 291 votes in favor and 241 votes against, which allowed the lower house to approve the law after a long process, during which the legislation received the approval of deputies twice, but was rejected many times by the Senate (upper house), with a conservative majority.

On Tuesday, French Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, had announced that, after the final vote, he would refer several of the most controversial aspects of the law to the Constitutional Court, so that it could rule on them.

Lecornu's consultation will focus on the reflection period provided for patients before confirming the decision to resort to euthanasia and on the provisions applicable to adults under guardianship or judicial protection, in particular with regard to the expression of free and informed consent, as well as the role of people legally responsible for their protection, according to a statement.

For the French government, this initiative is necessary because, although the National Assembly held an in-depth debate on the text, the debate in the Senate "did not allow for an equally exhaustive analysis", in order to reconcile the expectations of supporters of the reform with the concerns of detractors regarding its application.

The executive led by Lecornu indicated that the intervention of the Constitutional Court must provide "the necessary clarifications" to ensure that the application of this law fully respects constitutional principles, in particular, human dignity and personal freedom.

During the parliamentary process, one of the main points of contention was the two-day reflection period for the patient to confirm consent after medical authorization.

The president of the Senate, the conservative Gérard Larcher, had previously announced his intention to also appeal to the Constitutional Court as soon as the law was approved.

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