FRANCE – Change of government could mean the end of the assisted dying bill
05 November 2025
The ongoing political crisis in France is once again jeopardising the progress of the bill on assisted dying (“Aide à mouir”). In October, the French Senate (upper house of the French parliament) should have dealt with the bill, which was approved by the “Assemblée” (lower house) at first reading on 27 May 2025. The no-confidence vote against and the subsequent resignation of head of government François Bayrou, the turmoil around his successor, Sébastien Lecornu, the formation of a new government and the adoption of the controversial annual budget have shifted political priorities once again. Various items, including the assisted dying bill, have been removed from the agenda for the time being, and the further timetable is uncertain.
By the 2027 presidential elections at the latest, the bill needs to have passed the entire process and been approved. Whether this can be achieved is uncertain, as there are still many potential pitfalls. In the Senate, the bill could still undergo significant changes and restrictions which the Assemblée does not support, or it could even be blocked altogether. In the event of a blockade, President Macron has not ruled out a referendum, which would take further time.
Time could thus be running out. For now, people living in France can only fulfil their wish to end their own lives self-determinedly by resorting to risky and/or illegal methods at home, or by choosing the long and strenuous journey abroad, in order to die in a legal and professionally supported manner.
For more on the topic, read the following article from August 2025: “Despite green light by the Assemblée: assisted dying remains a political pawn”
The proposal in brief
As it currently stands, the proposed law would, under strictly defined conditions, create the option of accessing legal, safe and professional help to end one’s own suffering and life in a self-determined manner if expressly requested.
In addition to being of legal age, capable of judgement and having French citizenship or residence in France, the eligibility criteria for assisted dying essentially would be a serious, incurable, advanced illness, the individual’s firm and express wish to end their suffering and life, and medical authorisation. Persons with a purely mental/psychiatric condition are excluded.
The law would mainly permit physician-supported assisted suicide, that is self-administering a lethal medication under medical supervision. In exceptional cases, if the person is physically unable to do so, the medication may be administered by a doctor.
