The assisted dying bill promoted by French President Emmanuel Macron passed its first hurdle on May 27 (local time) after lengthy debate.
According to the Associated Press and other sources, the French National Assembly passed the assisted dying bill with 305 votes in favor and 199 against.
President Macron described the passage of the bill in the National Assembly as "an important step forward" on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), stating, "Amid respect for sensitivities, doubts, and hopes, the path of fraternity I have hoped for is gradually opening."
The assisted dying bill is a measure that President Macron has strongly advocated. It entered parliamentary review at the end of May last year, but the discussion was temporarily halted when President Macron dissolved the parliament a month later and called for an early general election.
This bill applies to French nationals or those legally residing in France who are 18 years of age or older.
The core of the bill is to allow patients to end their lives with the assistance of a physician, by their own free will, if they are suffering from a serious and incurable illness that has progressed significantly or reached a terminal stage, regardless of the cause, and are experiencing ongoing physical or psychological suffering.
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