France Officially Establishes Right to Assisted Dying
The law signed by President Emmanuel Macron was published in the Official Journal, ending a years-long parliamentary debate on euthanasia
The law signed by President Emmanuel Macron was published in the Official Journal, ending a years-long parliamentary debate on euthanasia
France has officially established the right to assisted dying after the law regulating the system was published on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, in the Official Journal. The law was signed by President Emmanuel Macron, ending years of debate on this major social reform of his second term, according to local media.
Law No. 2026-794 of August 18, 2026, on the right to assisted dying became part of French legislation after final adoption in the National Assembly on July 15, 2026. According to data published by Légifrance, the official French website for publishing legal and regulatory texts, the Constitutional Council approved the law on August 14, 2026, with several provisions.
The law is publicly known as the "end of life" or "aid in dying" law, deliberately avoiding the terms "assisted dying" or "euthanasia." With this reform, France joins a small group of countries that allow active assistance in dying, such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, and Canada. Until now, France only allowed passive euthanasia-such as turning off life support machines-and deep sedation before death, forcing many patients seeking active end-of-life options to travel abroad.
The new system grants the right to assisted dying to adult patients who meet medical criteria and submit a free and informed request. The patient must be French or a long-term resident of the country, suffer from a "serious and incurable" terminal or "advanced" illness, endure unbearable physical suffering, and be capable of expressing the wish to die.
The law stipulates that assisted dying takes place within a regulated medical pathway, with multiple safeguards aimed at verifying the patient's eligibility and ensuring that their request is persistent. The procedure requires that a doctor first check the patient's eligibility, after which a competent commission makes the final assessment. Upon receiving the green light, the patient must wait at least two days for reflection and reconfirm their decision on the day of the procedure. The patient may withdraw consent at any time. The patient may self-administer a lethal dose of medication in the presence of a healthcare professional, and only if the patient is physically unable to perform the act may the healthcare professional do it on their behalf.
The adoption of the law followed heated parliamentary debates that lasted more than a year. The National Assembly, the lower house of the French parliament, finally adopted it in a final reading with 291 votes in favor and 241 against. The Senate, the upper house, rejected the law several times.
The procedure is carried out by a single doctor and requires the involvement of other experts to determine whether the patient meets the conditions. Before healthcare professionals can apply the law, the government will need to publish the necessary decrees for its implementation.
The process leading to the adoption of the law gained momentum in September 2022, when an opinion from the National Consultative Ethics Committee (CCNE) paved the way for a debate on decriminalizing aid in dying. Shortly thereafter, Macron convened a Citizens' Convention on the End of Life, which met from December 2022 to April 2023. The debate continued in parliament until 2026, with interruptions caused by the dissolution of the National Assembly.
The reform comes alongside measures to strengthen access to palliative care. A separate law, adopted on May 26, 2026, aims to guarantee equal access to palliative support and care for all, according to Légifrance.
In a decision made on Friday before the publication, the Constitutional Council ruled that no provision of the law violates the Constitution. A relatively small group of countries has already approved this right, from Belgium and the Netherlands to Switzerland, Canada, and Uruguay, reports N1 Serbia.
The publication of the law followed several legal challenges. Critics argued that the minimum two-day reflection period was too short. The French Constitutional Council ultimately upheld the law but requested clarification of the so-called "conscience clause." Under the new rules, doctors, nurses, and even pharmacists have the right to refuse to participate in this procedure due to conscientious objection. Additionally, doctors are now required to take into account the opinions of patients' legal guardians when assessing requests. The right to conscientious objection will also apply to private institutions, according to sources.
Macron, who promised such a law during his 2022 re-election campaign, welcomed the news, emphasizing that it "concludes an exemplary democratic debate." However, the law has also sparked strong reactions. The Jérôme Lejeune Foundation, which provides lifelong care for people with intellectual disabilities such as Down syndrome, expressed outrage, while other activists warned that the law represents "an absolute danger for the most vulnerable." Euthanasia remains an extremely controversial topic in France, a country with a strong Catholic tradition.
