After Emmanuel Macron promulgated the law that definitively introduces in France the so-called “right to assistance in dying,” the Archbishop of Paris, Monsignor Laurent Ulrich, has called on Catholics not to avail themselves personally of this new possibility and to maintain their commitment to the care and accompaniment of the sick.
The regulation, promulgated on August 18 and published this Wednesday the 19th in the Journal officiel, incorporates into French law the possibility of resorting, under certain conditions, to a lethal substance to bring about one’s own death.
In a message published on the same August 19 under the title Fin de vie: appelés à agir et prier —End of Life: Called to Act and Pray, Ulrich acknowledges that the new law is now part of French law, but maintains that this “is not the end of the fight” for those who advocate another response to illness and the end of life.
France incorporates “assistance in dying” into its legislation
The promulgation culminates a long parliamentary process followed in recent months by InfoVaticana.
The National Assembly definitively approved the text on July 15 by 291 votes to 241, after successive disagreements with the Senate, which had rejected the initiative on several occasions.
Law No. 2026-794 defines “assistance in dying” as the right of a person who meets the established requirements to resort to a lethal substance.
As a general rule, the applicant will administer it themselves; when physically unable to do so, a doctor or nurse may intervene under the conditions provided by the regulation.
The requirements include being of legal age, having French nationality or stable and regular residence in France, suffering from a serious and incurable illness that compromises the prognosis of life and is in an advanced or terminal phase, experiencing suffering refractory to treatment or considered unbearable by the patient, and retaining the capacity to express a free and informed will.
The Constitutional Council examined the law on August 14 and declared its core consistent with the Constitution, with certain interpretive reservations.
After this final review, Macron promulgated the regulation on August 18, and it appeared in the Journal officiel the following day.
The opposition of the French bishops
The Church in France has maintained a position against legalization throughout the legislative process.
After the definitive approval in July, the presidency of the French Episcopal Conference described the decision as a “serious breaking point” and warned of the consequences it could have for the sick, the elderly, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups.
Ulrich himself had intervened during the process.
In early July, when the text had not yet completed its parliamentary journey, he stated that “more than assistance in dying, our society needs assistance in living” and called for access to care and accompaniment to take priority.
Ulrich denounces a contradiction with palliative care
Now that the law has been promulgated, the Archbishop of Paris focuses his message on what he considers a contradiction between the new “right” and the State’s parallel commitment to palliative care.
Ulrich recalls that the promotion and development of such care were unanimously supported in Parliament and constitute a national priority.
However, he laments that death may be offered to the most fragile people before there is sufficient and equitable coverage of palliative care throughout French territory.
This issue was present during the legislative process. The National Assembly unanimously approved an initiative aimed at strengthening palliative care while, in a much more divided manner, advancing the legislation on “assistance in dying.”
For Ulrich, the response to the end of life must start from another principle: “This life that we receive and that never belongs to us must be loved and cared for,” while its end must be “accompanied and relieved.”
“Choosing not to request this new right”
The archbishop also proposes a concrete response for Catholics in light of the new legal framework. Although he acknowledges that euthanasia and assisted suicide are now possibilities contemplated by French legislation, he asks that this legal possibility not determine personal decisions.
“It is up to us, first of all, to choose not to request this new ‘right,’” Ulrich states. “Euthanasia and assisted suicide now exist as a possibility: nothing should compel us to make them realities in our lives.”
The prelate also refers to the reservations expressed by the Constitutional Council and considers that they may offer room for institutions specifically dedicated to accompanying the seriously ill and to palliative care to maintain their identity. His wish, he says, is that they may continue to be places “where killing will not take place.”
Accompanying those who might request death
Ulrich calls for the rejection of euthanasia to also have a practical translation. He invites Catholics to become personally involved in accompanying the elderly, the sick, vulnerable people, and patients at the end of life.
The archbishop distinguishes between the medical relief of pain, which corresponds to healthcare professionals, and the companionship that any person can provide.
In the face of the possibility that someone might come to feel “useless, poor, or unworthy to the point of requesting death,” he proposes responding through presence, listening, and accompaniment.
The mobilization of the French Church in defense of life did not begin with the definitive approval of the law. During the legislative process, the bishops convened days of prayer and a novena for life, in addition to issuing successive appeals to parliamentarians.
Ulrich finally asks for prayers for those at the end of their lives, for healthcare professionals who will have to face requests for death, for those who accede to them, and for families, who—he warns—may be left disoriented or divided by the situations arising from the new legislation.
“We will have to remain close to each one, continue to firmly uphold what we believe is right and true, but also welcome, console, and accompany,” concludes the Archbishop of Paris.