French National Assembly passes assisted dying bill at third reading, final vote set for June 30

On the bench, the general rapporteur, Philippe Vigier, the president of the social affairs committee, Frédéric Valletoux, and the minister delegate for autonomy and persons with disabilities, Camille Galliard-Minier, during the new reading of the bill on end-of-life, at the National Assembly, in Paris, on June 26, 2026. JULIEN MUGUET FOR "LE MONDE"

Key Developments

Deputies completed the third examination of an end-of-life bill on Saturday, June 27, ahead of a chamber vote scheduled for Tuesday. Final adoption is set for July 15. The legislation, a flagship promise of Emmanuel Macron's second term, creates a right to assisted dying accessible under conditions to certain patients with a serious and incurable condition.

Since Monday, deputies have examined more than 1,800 amendments, of which only twenty-three were adopted. General rapporteur Philippe Vigier (MoDem) and his co-rapporteurs focused on preserving the balances from the previous reading in the Assembly, considering them the most likely to secure a majority.

The version to be submitted for a vote on Tuesday should, a priori, constitute the final copy. The Senate is very likely heading towards rejection, as in the two previous examinations, and deputies can no longer introduce amendments at the final reading.

Debate Highlights

Throughout the week, supporters and opponents of the bill—the latter primarily found on the benches of the right and far-right, though not exclusively—again ardently debated:

• The criteria opening the right to assisted dying
• The details of the procedure
• Semantics, with the words "assisted suicide" and "euthanasia" not appearing in the text, much to the dismay of its detractors

Read also: Assisted dying: the administration of the lethal act and the offense of obstruction at the heart of decisive debates in the Assembly

Modalities of Assisted Dying

In his final remarks, Les Républicains deputy Thibault Bazin said he was leaving the debates "with a certain dizziness," deeming the criteria "not strict enough," the procedure "not sufficiently regulated," the "deadlines too short," and regretting "insufficient guarantees for people under protection measures."

National Rally (RN) deputy Christophe Bentz said he hoped to have convinced "especially the hesitant and undecided deputies, that out of the precautionary principle and the principle of prudence, this text should not be voted for."

Read also: Assisted dying: "Under the guise of progressivism, this text is a breach of equality, an illusion of freedom, a travesty of fraternity"

Administration of the Lethal Substance

"The National Assembly has risen to its task," said Mr. Vigier (MoDem), adding that he reserved his "thoughts for the patients who were so waiting for us to be capable of having a new right to die."

One of the most debated points was who should administer the lethal substance—whether the patient or a caregiver. The initial text made self-administration the rule and euthanasia the exception, applicable when the requester is "physically unable to do so."

• Many deputies wanted to leave the patient free to choose, but the Assembly ultimately restored the initial spirit of the text.
• RN deputies succeeded in having an amendment adopted providing that only a nurse could administer it, not a doctor.
• However, the Assembly reversed this vote during a second deliberation on Saturday.

In line with the rapporteurs' wishes, a majority of deputies opposed the return of an offense of obstruction to assisted dying, modeled on the offense of...