French Senate rejects assisted dying law

"The debate, which should have remained dignified and deeply humanist, has turned into a dogmatic and political battle,"

"You can't ask senators who are opposed to euthanasia and assisted suicide to vote for an article like"

"The constitutional principle is that the assembly has the final say,"

France's Senate rejected a government-backed draft law on assisted dying after right-wing and centrist lawmakers significantly watered down its provisions. The upper chamber voted 181 against and 122 in favour of the weakened text, which made no mention of assisted dying. The lower National Assembly had passed an earlier version but amendments removed assisted dying provisions and altered the bill's intent. The law will return to the National Assembly next month, where the government could allow the lower chamber to definitively pass the legislation without Senate assent. The Senate approved separate end-of-life care improvements agreed by both chambers.

Read at The Local France