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3mo ago

French Senate Kills Core Access Clause of Assisted Dying Bill, Casting Reform in Doubt

The upper house’s rejection of the access clause sets up a likely return to the Assembly with a referendum floated if deadlock persists.

Lors d’une séance publique de questions au gouvernement, au Sénat, le 26 novembre 2025.
Examen de la proposition de loi sur l’aide à mourir au Sénat, le 20 janvier.
Le Sénat a confirmé mercredi 21 janvier 2026 ses très grandes réticences face à la création d’un droit à l’aide à mourir en rejetant l’un des articles centraux de la proposition de loi sur la fin de vie.
Fin de vie : «Le risque est qu’il devienne plus facile de demander la mort que d’obtenir un soin», fustige Bruno Retailleau

Overview

  • Senators voted 144–123 to strike Article 4, which defined eligibility for assisted dying, effectively gutting the bill; later in the evening, an amendment replaced the mechanism with a general right to pain relief.
  • Ahead of the vote, the right‑ and center‑led Senate had already recast the Assembly’s broader right to aid‑to‑die as a tightly limited medical assistance to die for patients with very short‑term prognoses, adding stricter procedures and broader conscience clauses.
  • The article fell to a split coalition, with much of the right and some centrists opposing any legalization and the left rejecting the narrowed Senate version after failing to restore the deputies’ text.
  • Health minister Stéphanie Rist backed the Assembly’s compromise, and the government expects the bill to return to the National Assembly, as a solemn Senate vote remains scheduled for January 28 despite the text being largely emptied.
  • The parliamentary fight has unfolded alongside mobilization by opponents, including the Marche pour la vie, as palliative‑care groups, health professionals and disability advocates voice concerns about the reform’s scope and safeguards.