National Assembly Gives Final Approval to Landmark Assisted Dying Bill

France's National Assembly gave final approval to a bill legalizing assisted dying, voting 291 in favor to 241 against with 29 abstentions after years of debate. The law allows adults with a serious, incurable, and life-threatening condition to request medical assistance to end their life. President Macron, who pledged in 2022 to open a path to assisted dying, called the vote fulfillment of that promise "with solemnity, humility and full respect for our democracy." France would become the 14th country worldwide and the ninth in Europe to permit some form of assisted dying. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said he would refer the law to the Constitutional Council before it can take effect.