Overview

• Catherine Vautrin delivered a keynote address at the Société française des soins palliatifs congress in Lille to calm healthcare workers’ concerns over the recently approved end-of-life bills.
• She reaffirmed a €1 billion budget over ten years for palliative care, including €100 million allocated for 2025 and pledged dedicated funding and training for all departments in 2026.
• The assisted dying proposal includes a conscience clause ensuring no professional is compelled to participate in aid-in-dying procedures.
• Discussions continue on legal provisions for assisted dying, with lawmakers removing the offense of incitement from the text and retaining an offense for obstruction.
• The National Assembly passed both bills unanimously in late May, and they proceed to the Senate in autumn as lawmakers weigh access disparities and unresolved legal details.