Overview

• The French government has presented a bill that would allow terminally ill patients over 18, who are either citizens or residents of France, to access lethal medication.
• Strict eligibility criteria include confirmation of a grave and incurable illness, intolerable pain, and the patient's free will to seek aid in dying.
• The bill excludes individuals with severe psychiatric conditions and neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's from accessing assisted dying.
• Patients must initiate and confirm their request for lethal medication after a period of reflection, with a prescription valid for three months.
• Public opinion in France largely supports the legalization of end-of-life options, reflecting a shift in societal attitudes over the past two decades.