France's National Assembly votes to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Mike Heuer reported for UPI news that the French National Assembly voted to pass a bill that would legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide by a vote of 305 to 199. The bill will need go be debated and voted-on inthe Senate and the bill will require a second reading vote in the National Assembly.

The bill allows euthanasia, meaning the doctor directly injects the person with lethal poison drugs and assisted suicide, meaning the person would self-administer the lethal poison drugs. 

According to Heuer's report, euthanasia must only be done when a person is unable to self-administer the lethal poison.

Politico reported:

The French bill will now be debated in the Senate, which is controlled by a conservative majority that could seek to amend or remove several provisions.

Politico also reported that President Emmanuel Macron will support a referendum on the issue, if the bill does not pass.

If the parliamentary process fails to produce an agreement between the two chambers, President Emmanuel Macron — who promised the legislation during his 2022 campaign — has suggested the issue could be put to the public via a referendum, although constitutional experts have questioned the legality of such a move.

The French media has reported that the bill is "stricter" than other European euthanasia legislation. I believe that the French bill is very similar to other euthanasia legislation as it does not require the person to be terminally ill.

The French National Assembly also unanimously approved a palliative care bill.