The French National Assembly has voted to support a Bill that would allow assisted voluntary suicide. It passed by 305 votes to 199 with 57 abstentions. The vote in favour, 61% of those present, was notably greater than the 55% who supported the British equivalent in November 2024. This, understandably, has given great encouragement to assisted dying campaigners throughout the world.
The Bill has its restrictions. You would have to be 18 or older. You would have to be a French citizen or at least a long-term resident of France. Your application would need to be agreed by a panel of three medical experts. A fatal illness would be required. You would not be eligible if you had Parkinsons, MND or any other neuro-degenerative illness.
In France the debate generally is more bitter and more polarised that it has been in the UK. Députés from Marine Le Pen’s party, the RN, voted 101 to 19 against the Bill. Those from the Left voted in favour. President Macron is in favour but several of his senior Ministers are against.
Nonetheless, the Bill does now seem likely to pass. After the usual Parliamentary processes, it will return to the National Assembly in February 2026. That will be before the next General Election in 2029 when, until recently, the RN has been expected to win. It will also be before the next Presidential election in 2027.
If it passes, its impact upon those travelling to Switzerland will be significant. 20% of Dignitas’s patients were from France in 2024. French visitors account for 4% of the hits to this website, even though we are written for an English-speaking readership.
