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PoliticsFrench Senate abandons amendments to assisted dying bill, final vote set for July 15
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On July 7, 2026, the French Senate definitively abandoned efforts to amend the National Assembly's assisted dying bill after narrowly passing a preliminary question (169-164). This marks the third time the Senate, dominated by right-wing and centrist parties, rejected the text, which they considered too permissive. The Senate's own version, which limited access to patients at the very end of life, was opposed by both the right (who oppose euthanasia in principle) and the left (who saw it as too restrictive). The National Assembly's version, which allows aid in dying for patients with serious and incurable conditions threatening the vital prognosis, will now be voted on for final adoption on July 15. The Senate's retreat sets the stage for a final parliamentary decision.
Source report
During the examination of the bill aimed at creating a right to medical aid in dying, at the Senate, in Paris, on January 20, 2026. ALAIN JOCARD/AFP
In a strategic retreat to avoid another defeat, the Senate voted narrowly—169 votes to 164—to adopt a preliminary question on Tuesday, July 7, regarding the bill creating aid in dying. This decision definitively abandons any further amendment of the text resulting from the National Assembly's work.
The version passed by deputies on June 30 will be submitted to the Senate again on July 15, with a view to final adoption.
Background of the Legislative Process
- First reading (January 28): The Senate rejected the copy drafted by its social affairs committee, which aimed to counter the version from the National Assembly, described by the Senate right as "far too permissive."
- Second reading (May 12): The Senate again rejected the bill.
On both occasions, the Luxembourg Palace rejected the text produced by its own committee.
Key Differences Between Versions
The Senate committee's text proposed granting access to "medical assistance in dying" only for patients at the very end of life. This version was rejected due to an unusual alliance of opposing factions:
- Right and center: Opposed in principle to "euthanasia" and "assisted suicide," voted against the committee text.
- Left: Voted against the Senate version, arguing it distorted the deputies' original copy, which opens "aid in dying" to patients suffering from a "serious and incurable condition that threatens the vital prognosis in an advanced or terminal stage."
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Source
Politique : Toute l’actualité sur Le Monde.fr.Western
Part of this Story
French National Assembly Advances Assisted Dying Bill Toward Final Adoption