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00:03 Report / Tessa Walther & Lukas Lottersberger

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((CONTENT WARNING: DEATH, SUICIDE))

Dying on your own terms. In most European countries, that’s outlawed.

But after years of debate, France is set to become one of a handful of states in the European Union where certain terminally ill patients will have the right to euthanasia administered by a doctor, as well as the right to assisted suicide.

Opponents warn the change could place pressure on vulnerable people.

Supporters argue it expands personal freedom.

The legislation centres mainly on assisted suicide, in which patients administer the lethal substance themselves. Doctors can only intervene if the patient is physically unable to do so.

Access would be tightly restricted. Applicants must be:

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- adults legally residing in France,

- diagnosed with a serious and incurable illness at an advanced or terminal stage,

- and experiencing suffering that cannot be relieved – or that they themselves consider unbearable.

France’s National Assembly has already taken key steps toward legalising assisted dying. 

The final vote could mark one of the most significant shifts in end-of-life policy in the country.