France’s assisted dying bill has taken another step forward, with the National Assembly approving it for a second time by 295 votes to 232 after the Senate rejected it earlier this year.
The vote does not mean the law has passed. The bill will now return to the Senate for a final and decisive vote on 15 July 2026. If the two chambers still cannot agree, the National Assembly will have the final word. 
There has already been a lot of back and forth in France, and that will feel familiar to many people in England and Wales. Progress on assisted dying is often contested and hard won. The vote took place after a “novena of prayer” was launched across the country by bishops.
The Bill was first launched in France back in 2022 and in 2023. France’s citizens’ jury showed overwhelming support for assisted dying reform, backing legalisation in certain circumstances. That public backing has helped keep the issue alive through the twists and turns of the parliamentary process.
The French bill would create a right to assisted dying for adults with serious incurable illness, under defined conditions and subject to medical oversight. It would apply only to adults who are French citizens or stable residents in France. This eligibility criterion is more inclusive than the proposed legislation in Westminster, which only covers adults with a terminal illness and a 6-month prognosis.
If France ultimately passes this law, it would not create a route just across the Channel for people in England and Wales. Terminally ill people here would still be left under the current law, without a safe and compassionate option at home.
In England and Wales, our own bill passed the House of Commons but fell after running out of time in the House of Lords. It has now been brought back by Lauren Edwards MP, with Second Reading scheduled for 11 September.
Dave Sowry, Chair of My Death, My Decision,
“It’s great to see the French parliament reflecting the wishes of the French people as expressed by their citizens’ jury and wider public opinion.
If the Bill in France passes this July, as it should, it will be hard not to think about what that will feel like for terminally ill people here. To know that a neighbouring country may soon offer its citizens a safe and compassionate choice that is still denied to people in England and Wales only reinforces how cruel our current law is.
We must hope that the UK parliament reflects on this and follows the example of their French counterparts. The current UK law is unjust and lacking compassion. People need choice at the end of their lives.”
Notes
- France’s National Assembly approved the assisted dying bill by 295 votes to 232 on 30 June 2026.
- The bill now returns to the Senate. If the two chambers still fail to agree, the National Assembly can have the final word. A final decisive vote is scheduled for 15 July 2026.
- The proposed law would apply only to French citizens or residents.
Members of the MDMD team, as well as individuals affected by the current law on assisted dying, are available for interview upon request
For further comment or information, media should contact Kerry Hogan at kerry.hogan@mydeath-mydecision.org.uk or phone 07922363248. (media only)
Media can use the following press images and videos, as long as they are attributed to “My Death, My Decision”.
My Death, My Decision is a grassroots campaign group that wants the law in England and Wales to allow mentally competent adults who are terminally ill or intolerably suffering from an incurable condition the option of a legal, safe, and compassionate assisted death. With the support of over 3,000 members and supporters, we advocate for an evidence-based law that would balance individual choice alongside robust safeguards and finally give the people of England and Wales choice at the end of their lives.
