On Wednesday, the French Senate voted down a proposed law to regulate assisted dying, sending the legislation back to the National Assembly for further debate. The vote was 181 against and 122 in favor, reflecting deep divisions over the scope and ethics of the measure.
The bill, first introduced in 2024 and approved by the National Assembly in May 2025, would have allowed adults with incurable illnesses to request lethal medication. Patients would need to be over 18, French citizens or residents, and suffering from a grave and incurable condition at an advanced or terminal stage, with intolerable and untreatable pain. A team of medical professionals would verify that the request is voluntary. Those with severe psychiatric conditions or neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s would not be eligible. The text also included a conscience clause for healthcare professionals who object to participating.
Opposition to the bill came from multiple directions. Right-wing politicians rejected the principle outright, while some initial supporters argued the final text had been watered down. On January 21, the Senate had already rejected Article 4, which defined the conditions for access to aid in dying. The Socialist group in the chamber said this rejection “left the entire text meaningless.”
Bruno Retailleau, president of the liberal-conservative Republicans party, argued that France does not need a new assisted dying law but rather more resources for palliative care. “End-of-life care is accompaniment, not abandonment,” he wrote on X. In the same session on January 28, the Senate adopted a separate law on palliative care almost unanimously, with 307 votes in favor and 17 against, aiming to expand access to end-of-life support across France.
What Happens Next?
Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of the National Assembly, expressed regret over the Senate’s rejection. “As assisted dying responds to a deep-seated desire among the French people, I regret the Senate’s rejection of this bill today,” she said. She confirmed that the process will continue with a second reading in the National Assembly starting the week of February 16. “I am convinced that Parliament will be able to definitively adopt this bill, which is eagerly awaited by our fellow citizens, by the summer of 2026,” she wrote on X.
If the National Assembly approves the text again, it will return to the Senate for its own second reading. Senators could amend or reject it once more, but the National Assembly has the final say under French legislative procedure. President Emmanuel Macron promised in 2022 to bring forward an assisted dying law after his reelection, but the path to enactment remains uncertain.
France is not alone in grappling with this issue. Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Spain have laws allowing euthanasia administered by healthcare professionals. Austria, Germany, and Italy permit physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients. The debate in France reflects broader European discussions about end-of-life autonomy and the balance between individual choice and societal safeguards.
The rejection highlights the political and ethical complexities surrounding assisted dying in France, where public opinion polls show majority support for the measure. The coming months will test whether the National Assembly can overcome Senate resistance and deliver a law that satisfies both proponents and critics.
