On 15 July 2026, the French Parliament adopted the law establishing a right to assisted dying (euthanasia and assisted suicide), by 291 votes to 241. The margin of 50 votes is smaller than in previous readings.
The law allows adults experiencing “unbearable suffering” to receive help in ending their lives. It includes both active euthanasia, in which the doctor administers a lethal substance, and assisted suicide, in which the patient personally drains the cup of poison. Supporters call it a human right and a dignified end to life. Critics regard it as a dangerous breach of the medical ethos and a step towards a “culture of death”.
No right of conscientious objection for nursing homes and healthcare personnel
The bill was an election pledge from President Emmanuel Macron’s second term, and the Macron government has pressed hard to have the law adopted. The President has called it part of our era’s modern “right to die with dignity”.
Despite extensive public opposition and its rejection by the Senate on three occasions, the government has invoked constitutional powers to give the National Assembly the final word on the matter.
Medical associations and palliative-care physicians warn of a slippery slope: from terminal illness to mental disorders, financial problems and weariness of life.
Catholic and religious communities are strongly critical. The order Petites Sœurs des Pauvres – “Little Sisters of the Poor” – which runs 30 nursing homes in France, has previously warned that it will close all its operations if the law is adopted. They consider participation in active euthanasia incompatible with their Christian calling.
It is the absence of a right of conscientious objection that is the principal reason why the Little Sisters of the Poor are threatening to close their 30 nursing homes.
The law requires all healthcare institutions – including private and religious institutions – to offer the procedure. This means that nursing homes and hospitals may no longer refuse to kill, even if doing so conflicts with their ethical and religious convictions.
– Walls have no conscience
One formulation that attracted considerable attention during the debate on the law on 15 July came from Member of Parliament Olivier Falorni, one of the law’s leading supporters. When the case was made for an institutional right of conscientious objection, he replied, “Les murs n’ont pas de conscience” – “walls have no conscience”.
For Petites Sœurs des Pauvres, this is unacceptable. Being forced to carry out euthanasia would constitute a direct breach of their Christian faith. The order stands firm in its calling at a time when other institutions bow to the spirit of the age:
Frankrike: Klosterorden vil stenge sine sykehjem dersom ny eutanasi-lov vedtas
A few days ago, the author Michel Houellebecq issued a stark warning in Le Figaro, in which he described the change in the law as nothing less than the euthanasia of France itself:
– I cannot help thinking that when France demands access to assisted dying for its citizens, it is in reality its own assisted death that the country is asking for.
One need only examine more closely the arguments of the supporters of euthanasia to be overwhelmed by disgust. These arguments can in fact be reduced to a single one, namely “dignity”, but this word has been used so often, and in such a perverse manner, that it has become difficult to understand what it means:
The fact that the margin narrowed to only 50 votes demonstrates growing opposition. Many Members of Parliament have expressed concern about pressure on vulnerable groups, an erosion of trust in the healthcare system, and the ethical distinction between relieving pain and taking life.