After years of national debate, France took a historic step toward expanding end-of-life options when the National Assembly voted 291–241 on July 15, 2026, to approve legislation legalizing aid in dying. If the bill ultimately becomes law, France will join a growing number of countries that recognize the right to choose a peaceful death under carefully regulated circumstances.
As France weighed this landmark decision, Death with Dignity CEO Peg Sandeen had a unique opportunity to contribute to the conversation. In 2023, she met with Minister Agnès Firmin-Le Bodo, then France’s Minister Delegate for Territorial Organization and Health Professions under President Emmanuel Macron. Macron had tasked his administration with studying international models for aid in dying—including Oregon’s pioneering Death with Dignity Act—as France considered how to reform its own end-of-life laws.
A Long Road to Aid in Dying
France’s aid in dying legislation did not happen overnight. For decades, France has debated how to best care for people nearing the end of life. The country first expanded patients’ rights through the Leonetti Law in 2005, which prohibited “unreasonable obstinacy” in medical treatment. In 2016, the Claeys-Leonetti law strengthened patients’ rights by allowing continuous deep sedation until death in certain circumstances, but it stopped short of allowing medical aid in dying.
As public opinion continued to evolve, President Emmanuel Macron pledged to revisit France’s end-of-life laws. In 2022, he launched a Citizens’ Convention on End of Life, bringing together randomly selected citizens to study evidence, hear from experts, and recommend whether France should change its laws.
In 2023, the convention concluded that the existing legal framework was insufficient and recommended creating access to aid in dying under strict conditions. Macron’s government spent months consulting medical professionals, ethicists, patient advocates, and international experts before introducing legislation in 2024.
The National Assembly exercised its constitutional authority to give the legislation final approval in July 2026.
The years-long process reflects France’s determination to approach aid in dying thoughtfully, deliberately, and with broad public engagement.
Learning from Oregon’s Death with Dignity Law
That careful approach was evident when French Minister Agnès Firmin-Le Bodo traveled to Oregon in March 2023 to meet with Death with Dignity’s CEO, Peg Sandeen, and later, Senator Jeff Merkley, about Oregon’s decades of experience implementing the nation’s first Death with Dignity law.
“Minister Firmin-Le Bodo had a strong background in health policy and politics and wanted to understand not only how Oregon’s law works medically, but also the political realities of passing and implementing it,” Sandeen said.
Rather than focusing on hypothetical concerns, Minister Firmin-Le Bodo wanted to examine Oregon’s decades of evidence.
“There is now so much data showing that the dire predictions made by opponents simply haven’t happened,” Peg said. “She was looking at a law that has been carefully written and carefully implemented.”
Peg came away impressed by how seriously French leaders were approaching the issue: “What stood out to me was how much the French government was willing to invest in understanding what would be healthiest for its people.”
Peg also noted that it was clear Minister Firmin-Le Bodo understood aid in dying as one component of a broader conversation about end-of-life care—not a replacement for palliative care, but one option within a comprehensive healthcare system.
“I left feeling confident that if France ultimately passed a law, it would be thoughtful and well integrated into their healthcare system.”
At the time, Minister Firmin-Le Bodo hoped legislation might pass quickly. Peg encouraged them to continue building relationships and public understanding before moving forward.
The Path Ahead for France’s Aid in Dying Law
The bill will next be referred to the country’s Constitutional Council, which will be given a month to rule on whether the legislation is in accordance with the French Constitution. It may only take effect after that review.
If it takes effect, France’s aid in dying law will differ in several ways from the medical aid in dying laws in the U.S. Across all Death with Dignity laws in the U.S., patients must have a terminal diagnosis with a prognosis of six months or less to live, make a voluntary request on their own behalf, possess the mental capacity to make their own healthcare decisions, and be able to self-administer the medication.
France’s law would establish different eligibility criteria. Patients would be able to receive aid in dying if they are French citizens or legal residents living in France on a “stable and regular basis,” are experiencing unbearable suffering that cannot be relieved, and are living with an incurable, life-threatening illness in an advanced stage. French legislation would also allow a physician to administer the medication if a patient is physically unable to self-administer—a key difference from state laws in the U.S.
France’s journey demonstrates that meaningful change takes time, thoughtful dialogue, and a commitment to evidence-based policymaking. As countries around the world continue exploring end-of-life options, Death with Dignity will remain a trusted resource for lawmakers, advocates, and the public. Follow our work to stay informed about developments in France and the growing global movement for end-of-life freedom.