(ZENIT News / Paris, 03.04. 2026) – On Wednesday, February 25, 2026, the French National Assembly approved two bills on second reading: one on palliative care and another on assisted dying, which includes euthanasia and assisted suicide. These two texts have not yet been definitively approved; they will be debated again in the Senate from April 1 to 3.
The palliative care bill was passed unanimously with 491 votes in favour, a result widely applauded by the French Episcopal Conference.
In a statement released on February 27, the Bishops reiterated the importance of palliative care, essential for «ensuring pain relief and dignified support for every person at the end of their life (…). Its effective development throughout the country remains a priority and an imperative of justice.» For Bishop Grégoire Drouot of Nevers, this positive vote demonstrates «a genuine commitment to supporting palliative care so that it can be developed. As Christians, and as human beings, we want to promote support for people at the end of their lives. I sincerely hope that there will be a political and financial commitment so that palliative care can be developed more widely.»
Regarding the bill on assisted dying, parliamentarians voted in favour on Wednesday. The aim is to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide. The relatively narrow margin reveals a clear division in French society on this issue.
In response, the French Bishops reaffirmed their profound opposition and spoke of an irreversible break with the ethical foundations of society. They announced that they would continue to denounce this bill because «deliberately taking a life cannot constitute human progress.» They also count on the continuation of the parliamentary process to reaffirm that a truly fraternal society is recognized by the way it cares for its most vulnerable members, not by the ease with which it accepts causing their death. They added: «Legalizing assisted dying is not simply a technical adjustment of the law: it is in reality an anthropological change that profoundly alters the very foundations of society.»
For several months, this bill has faced opposition not only from Catholics but also from non-believers. During its passage through the Senate on January 21, the central article of the text on «assisted dying» was rejected by an unprecedented majority of senators. Many now agree that this legislation violates human dignity and represents a serious danger to the future of society. Furthermore, a large number of French people are actively working to reaffirm the primacy and beauty of life. «This is not about religion or faith. It is primarily about human intelligence,» commented Bishop Olivier de Cagny of Évreux. Bishop Matthieu Rougé of Nantrey, spokesman for the French Bishops on end-of-life issues, told Vatican media that «this vote was closer than the previous one in the Assembly, so we are in a process in which, together with many others, Christians will commit to promoting palliative care and will seek to ensure that assisted dying cannot enter into French legislation.»
