France joins Europe's assisted dying pioneers with new law
France has legalised assisted dying for incurable adults, cementing a growing but uneven shift across Europe towards end-of-life rights.
The French parliament has voted to establish a right to assisted dying for adults suffering from incurable conditions, a move championed by President Emmanuel Macron. Under the new law, eligible patients must be capable of expressing themselves in a free and informed manner and suffering from physical pain that is either untreatable or unbearable. A physician verifies the criteria alongside a panel, though the doctor ultimately makes the final decision and the patient can withdraw consent at any time.
The legislation requires patients to administer a lethal substance themselves. However, health workers are permitted to assist those who are physically unable to do so. The vote formally places France among a growing bloc of European nations that have legalised some form of assisted dying or euthanasia.
A divided continent
France’s neighbours have long led the way on the issue. The Netherlands and Belgium both legalised euthanasia in 2002, with both eventually extending the right to terminally ill children of all ages. Switzerland, which prohibits euthanasia but permits assisted dying, has functioned as a destination for Europeans seeking to end their lives since the Second World War. Luxembourg decriminalised both practices in 2009, and Austria legalised assisted dying in 2021.
Southern Europe presents a more complicated picture. Spain legalised euthanasia and assisted dying in 2021 under strict conditions, though a recent high-profile case of a 25-year-old paralysed woman who underwent euthanasia in March divided Spanish society. In Italy, the absence of national legislation has led to regional fragmentation. Tuscany implemented its own rules last year, resulting in writer Daniele Pieroni becoming the first to die under the regional law in 2025, a move challenged by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's coalition.
Elsewhere, legislative efforts have stalled entirely. Portugal decriminalised euthanasia in 2023, only for the Constitutional Court to block its implementation. Slovenia legalised assisted dying last July, but a public referendum suspended the law just months later.
The debate continues to shape European public life, with the UK providing the next major test. The elected House of Commons voted to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales last year, but the unelected upper house rejected the bill. Lawmakers will revisit the issue in September. While the dependencies of Jersey and the Isle of Man have approved their own legislation, Scotland’s parliament rejected a similar bill in March.
