Overview

• The French National Assembly will hold a decisive vote on May 27, 2025, on a bill to legalize assisted dying for terminally ill patients under specific safeguards.
• The proposed law includes provisions like a 'duty to inform' patients and a 'clause de conscience' to protect healthcare professionals who object to participating.
• Critics, including individuals with disabilities, warn the law could pressure vulnerable populations into choosing assisted death, citing concerns over ambiguous eligibility criteria.
• Proponents argue the law is necessary to alleviate unbearable suffering for patients with no viable alternatives under current end-of-life care policies.
• If passed, France would join seven other European countries in legalizing assisted dying, but the legislation faces potential amendments and further scrutiny in the Senate.