France takes major steps towards legalising assisted dying
France's lower house of parliament adopted a Bill on Tuesday to allow adults with incurable illness to take lethal medication, as public demands grow across Europe for legal end-of-life options.
The National Assembly vote is a key legislative step on the long-debated issue.
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'I'm thinking of all the patients and their loved ones. There are days, you know, you will never forget. I will never forget this day,' said Olivier Falorni, the general rapporteur of the Bill, amid applause from fellow lawmakers.
The Bill received 305 votes in favour and 199 against.
It will be sent to the country's Senate for further debate where the conservative majority could seek to amend it.
French health minister Catherine Vautrin speaks after the Bill was adopted (Michel Euler/AP)
A definitive vote on the measure could take months to be scheduled amid France's long and complex process.
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The National Assembly has final say over the Senate.
A definitive vote on the measure could take months to be scheduled amid France's long and complex process. The National Assembly has final say over the Senate.
Activists have criticised the complexity and length of the parliamentary process that they say is penalising patients waiting for end-of-life options.
In parallel, a Bill on palliative care, meant to reinforce measures to relieve pain and preserve patients' dignity, was also adopted on Tuesday, unanimously.
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The proposed measure on lethal medication defines assisted dying as allowing people to use it under certain conditions so that they may take it themselves.
Only those whose physical condition does not allow them to do it alone would be able to get help from a doctor or a nurse.
Assisted suicide is allowed in Switzerland and several US states. Euthanasia is currently legal in the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Canada, Australia, Colombia, Belgium and Luxembourg under certain conditions.
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