The conclusion of the citizens’ convention on end-of-life, which gathered 184 citizens drawn by lot, revealed an inadequate legal framework for end-of-life care support and a public demand for authorising assisted death. To tackle these issues, the government proposed a bill in early 2024 that renews the approach to pain and end-of-life care, with a wider concept of “supportive care”. A new type of care facility, “support home”, will be created to provide support for terminally ill patients and their families. Patients diagnosed with a life-threatening illness will systematically be proposed to anticipate and coordinate their care and establish a personalised plan for end-of-life. Anyone can also prepare in advance an end-of-life support plan specifying their preferences.
The second part of the bill concerns assisted death. It authorises the provision of a lethal substance to a person who requests it, either to administer it themselves or with the help of a doctor, nurse, relative or a volunteer of their choice. This is reserved for patients over 18 who have an incurable condition that causes intolerable pain. The cost of the medication, which would be available after a medical assessment and prescription, will be covered by the national health insurance fund.
The bill gave rise to intense debates in the Parliament but was close to being voted on before the dissolution of the National Assembly in June 2024. A legislative draft, based closely on the former bill, was submitted to the new assembly in July 2024.