France’s law creating a conditional right to assisted dying is set to take effect in January 2027, Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said on Tuesday, November 3. The implementing decrees are also expected in January, she told Franceinfo, reaffirming the government’s announced timetable after the law’s adoption and promulgation earlier this year.
The measure was definitively approved by Parliament on July 15 and promulgated by President Emmanuel Macron on August 19. Under the law, eligible patients may administer a lethal substance themselves in the presence of a healthcare professional. A professional may administer it only if the patient is physically unable to do so.
Eligibility is limited to adults who are French citizens or long-term residents of France, have a serious and incurable condition in an advanced or terminal stage, experience unbearable physical suffering and are able to express an informed choice until the final moment.
The law’s implementing decrees are expected to draw close scrutiny. Opponents have said they hope the rules will prevent potential abuses or address aspects of the legislation. The Constitutional Council upheld the law but made reservations, including extending healthcare workers’ conscientious objection to an entire institution when another local option is available.
The legislation has faced strong opposition from the Catholic Church in France, which has described it as a profound break with human values. During his visit to France in late September, Pope Leo XIV also spoke against assisted dying. Jean-Luc Romero of the Association for the Right to Die with Dignity responded that the pope was entitled to express his views, but that the laws of the Republic take precedence over those of the Church.
Sources: Le Monde.