France’s assisted dying bill: Claims vs facts

Upon his re-election as president in 2022, Emmanuel Macron pledged to introduce legislation on assisted dying. Since then, the proposed law has faced sustained criticism, much of it focused on the conditions under which patients could qualify.

Opponents argue that the criteria are too broad or insufficiently defined, raising fears of unintended consequences, including concerns that the law could penalise healthcare professionals who attempt to dissuade patients from seeking assisted dying.

Part of the debate has taken place on the social media platform X, where discussions between civil society and political figures have intensified. Alongside legitimate concerns, misleading claims have also circulated.

At the centre of the controversy is a claim by some users that the bill would allow people suffering from depression to access euthanasia.

Where the claim comes from

The concern largely stems from Article 4 of the draft law, which sets out the eligibility conditions for assisted dying.

On 4 February, MPs in the National Assembly’s social affairs committee approved a revised version of the bill, after the Senate rejected it in late January.

Its overall framework remains largely similar to the version adopted by the National Assembly in May 2025, with a small number of changes, including a modification to the wording of the eligibility criteria.

Under the revised text, a person may be eligible for assisted dying if they experience “constant physical or psychological suffering” linked to a condition that is either “resistant to treatment or considered unbearable by the person concerned”, when they choose to stop receiving treatment.

Unlike the initial version of the bill, the revised text no longer includes the explicit sentence stating that “psychological suffering alone could never justify access to assistance in dying”.

Its removal prompted serious concern that it meant that people could be eligible for medically-assisted dying even if they only suffered from mental health issues.

Does this include depression?

Experts say, however, that even in its current form, the bill is clear: psychological suffering can only be considered a factor alongside a serious and incurable disease, according to Claire Fourcade, a palliative care physician based in Narbonne in southern France.

“Depression is obviously a form of psychological suffering,” said Fourcarde, former president of the French Society for Palliative Care and Support. “But the law is clear: there must be a serious and incurable disease.”

She told The Cube, Euronews’ fact-checking team, that such illnesses do not necessarily mean a patient is at the end of life.

“Diabetes, for example, is a serious and incurable disease and is often accompanied by psychological distress,” she said.

French MPs also insist that the bill will not open the door to assisted dying without strict safeguards and medical oversight.

One such lawmaker is Olivier Falorni, the bill’s rapporteur and one of its main proponents.

“I want to say this very clearly: the text does not open access to assisted dying for anyone presenting psychological suffering,” he said during a committee session.”I will not repeat it five, 10 or 15 times. I do not know how else to say it other than by reading what the text actually says. Let us avoid sowing confusion where there is none.”

Remaining concerns

Nevertheless, experts say that there are still some lingering, more legitimate concerns about the potential law.

Fourcade said that it does not fully reflect the complexity of real-life medical situations, for example.

She gave the example of a patient diagnosed for the first time with cancer at a very advanced stage.

“For that patient, the diagnosis comes as a shock,” she told The Cube. “It places them in a situation of severe psychological distress. They have both a serious illness and psychological suffering, which could make them eligible for assisted dying, even before any treatment or care has been proposed.”

Still, this is not the only requirement that those seeking medically-assisted dying would have to meet. French MPs have underlined that access would be limited to applicants who satisfy all five conditions laid out in the bill.

These include being at least 18 years old, having French nationality or legal residence, and suffering from a serious, incurable and life-threatening illness at an advanced or terminal stage.

Applicants would also have to be experiencing persistent physical or psychological suffering and be able to express their wishes freely and with full understanding.

Doctors will be allowed to abstain from the procedure if they wish, but they must refer the patient to other healthcare professionals.

The debate is still ongoing

The controversial bill is yet to become law and is still stirring up debate across the political spectrum.

During the parliamentary sessions where it’s been under review, critics warned it could represent a profound shift in ethical norms, with some arguing it risked upsetting existing safeguards.

Théo Bernhardt, a far-right National Rally MP, objected in particular to changes affecting how psychological suffering is treated, warning of what he described as a “dangerous loss of balance” in the text.

Among those echoing similar concerns was Élisabeth de Maistre, a Republican MP, who argued that key safeguards remained insufficiently defined.

Responding to the criticism, Falorni said work on the legislation had been underway for three years. “If there is one word that cannot be used to describe the way end-of-life legislation has been handled, it is ‘haste’,” he said.

Despite progress so far, the bill’s passage is not yet complete. Falorni has said he hopes it can be finally adopted by the summer.

As things stand, the National Assembly will have another vote in February, before sending it back to the Senate, which could amend or reject it again. Regardless, the National Assembly can override the Senate if no agreement is reached.