Overview

• Two separate texts on palliative care and assisted dying are slated for Senate examination starting October 20, with a solemn vote scheduled roughly eight days later.
• Jean Leonetti, co‑author of earlier end‑of‑life laws, criticizes the accelerated push as a form of indecency and says a hastily adopted reform could fracture society.
• Claire Fourcade of the French palliative care society denounces a "double indecency," noting the issue is prioritized before the national budget and that senators face a sharply shortened review window.
• Critics argue the compressed calendar precludes thorough debate on key provisions, including eligibility criteria and the new offense penalizing obstruction of assisted dying.
• The National Assembly approved the split reform in the spring after extensive debate, but reports indicate the Senate now has at most a brief slot—described as under a week by Fourcade or two weeks in other accounts—to examine both laws.