French Bishops Condemn Euthanasia Law Vote as 'Turning Point' in Nation's History

France's Catholic bishops are voicing sharp opposition after the National Assembly gave final approval to a law legalizing euthanasia and assisted suicide, calling the July 15 vote a "turning point" in the nation's history that could reshape how the country cares for its most vulnerable citizens.

Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline of Marseille, president of the French bishops' conference, said lawmakers had enshrined in French law "the possibility of causing death," breaking with a long tradition of care meant to alleviate suffering and accompany each person to "the natural end of their life."

The National Assembly passed the bill 291 to 241, with 29 members absent, marking the fourth time since May 2025 that deputies have approved the measure. The law permits assisted dying and, in some circumstances, allows a doctor or nurse to administer a lethal substance directly, effectively legalizing euthanasia in France. It must still clear review by the Constitutional Council before taking effect.

In a statement signed by Archbishop Vincent Jordy of Tours and Bishop Benoît Bertrand of Pontoise, deputy presidents of the bishops' conference, the prelates called on Catholic hospitals, hospices and nursing homes to refrain from "behavior that is clearly morally reprehensible, in accordance with the dignity of all human life."

The bishops warned that once death is treated as an acceptable medical response to suffering, the criteria for who may access it tend to expand over time. "Experience in other countries shows that the criteria for access to assisted dying always tend to broaden, to the detriment of palliative care," they said, warning that elderly and disabled people in precarious situations may come to feel pressured not to be a burden on their families.

President Emmanuel Macron, who had promised during his 2022 campaign to legalize euthanasia before the end of his term, welcomed the vote as fulfilling that pledge. The bishops countered that the debate Macron had promised would be "calm, informed, and respectful" was instead thwarted by "political, ideological, and undoubtedly even economic considerations, disguised by misleading rhetoric."

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, who personally opposes the law, announced on Bastille Day that he would refer the text to the Constitutional Council, joining Senate President Gérard Larcher in seeking judicial review. Their appeal is expected to focus heavily on the law's lack of a conscience clause that would let Catholic institutions, including nursing homes run by the Little Sisters of the Poor, decline to allow the procedure on their premises.

Pending the outcome of that review, the French bishops have renewed their call for Catholics to "bear witness that another path is possible — one of faithful presence and attentive care that alleviates physical or psychological suffering, without ever abandoning anyone."

The vote in France follows a broader pattern across Western Europe, where assisted-dying laws have steadily expanded in scope since their initial passage, a trend pro-life and disability-rights advocates say should serve as a warning to lawmakers considering similar measures elsewhere.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Priests for Life stands firmly with the French bishops in this moral witness. When a nation legalizes the deliberate ending of life under the guise of compassion, it abandons the sick and dying instead of caring for them. True mercy means walking with suffering people through real medical, spiritual and emotional support, never offering them death as a solution.

Sources: Catholic Review/OSV News, Vatican News, EWTN News and ZENIT.

Related: Readers can learn more about end-of-life care alternatives and the Church's teaching on the dignity of the sick and dying through diocesan respect-life offices and hospice palliative-care ministries.