FRENCH MPs are poised tonight to give final approval to legislation allowing adults with incurable illnesses to receive lethal medication, the culmination of years of debate on end-of-life care.

The National Assembly is widely expected to approve the measure after the Morning Star goes to press, having backed it in three previous readings.

Medically assisted suicide generally involves a patient voluntarily taking lethal medication prescribed by a doctor. Euthanasia involves a doctor or other healthcare professional administering a lethal injection at the patient’s request.

The proposed measure in France primarily provides for medically assisted suicide. Only people whose physical condition prevents them from taking lethal medication would be allowed to receive help from a doctor or nurse.

Patients seeking to end their lives would have to be at least 18 years old and either French citizens or legal residents of France.

A doctor would first have to consult a team of healthcare professionals and then confirm that the patient has a serious and incurable illness that is life-threatening. The patient must be in an advanced or terminal stage, experiencing pain that cannot be relieved or is unbearable and seeking lethal medication of their own free will.

France’s health insurance system would cover all associated costs.

A 2023 report found that most French people favour legalising end-of-life options, though opponents argue the measure could put pressure on older people and those living with illness or disabilities.

In an open letter to President Emmanuel Macron, anti-euthanasia group Alliance Vita said “every effort must be made to ensure that people who are suffering have immediate access to palliative care and support. Presenting death as a desirable solution can never be an acceptable response to suffering and is contrary to human dignity.”

The conservative-dominated Senate has rejected the Bill, but the National Assembly has the final say when the two houses of parliament disagree.