Euthanasia in France: Update on our Submission to the United Nations

As we announced last April, the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ) has alerted three different bodies within the UN of the worrying developments in the debate on “assisted dying,” i.e., euthanasia and assisted suicide. More than 14,000 citizens have expressed their support for our  initiative by signing our petition. One of these proceedings, before the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, has made good progress.

On May 6, we had a preparatory meeting with the Committee. A law professor and a doctor specializing in medical ethics joined the ECLJ to present the situation in France to the Committee. On May 30, we submitted a brief to the Committee, which can be viewed online. It demonstrates that the parliamentary debate on the “aid in dying” is taking place in ignorance of France's international obligations regarding the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities. The ECLJ's referral to the Committee was reported in several media outlets: Gènéthique, Boulevard Voltaire, L’Homme nouveau, Ligne droite, Hungarian Conservative.

Nicolas Bauer, Doctor of Law and Associate Researcher at the ECLJ, also explained our action at the UN to the European Parliament during a recent symposium organized by MEPs Marion Maréchal and Laurence Trochu.  . Nicolas Bauer also addressed several provisions of this bill that are shocking and unique in the world, in particular criminalization of obstructing euthanasia and the constraints imposed on pharmacists.

What will be the next steps in this proceedings before the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities? The Committee sent a letter to the French government on June 23, giving it another opportunity to justify its position by providing answers on how France intends to ensure the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities. It is unlikely that the government's responses, expected by August 11, will be sufficient to reassure the Committee. Indeed, on May 16, the Minister Delegate for People with Disabilities, Charlotte Parmentier-Lecocq, publicly supported euthanasia for people with disabilities in a video posted on X.

The plenary session of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in August 2025

The next step is the plenary session of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, from August 11 to 29. During this session, the Committee will examine the French government's responses and decide whether to open a special procedure concerning the French debate on “ aid in dying.” This proceeding should result in a reminder that the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, ratified by France in 2010, requires the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities, including their right to life “on an equal basis with others” (Art. 10).

This Committee has already acted on the basis of this international treaty in previous proceedings. In April 2025, it asked Canada to review its legislation on the rights of persons with disabilities. This committee also petitioned France to stop the euthanization of Vincent Lambert in 2019, as the committee considered his disability to be the reason why he was deprived of food and water

Human Rights Council: An “urgent action” activated on May 30, 2025

The other bodies petitioned  by the ECLJ are the Independent Expert on the Rights of Older Persons and the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of the Human Rights Council. After writing letters to them in April, a UN official advised us to consider the “urgent action”  proceeding, which we formally submitted on May 30. We have not yet received any further news.

The Senate is expected to begin examining the proposed law on “assisted dying” in September. The official position of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the two experts consulted should reach France during the parliamentary debate. In the meantime, to support our efforts, we invite you to sign the petition below, which we are using in our exchanges with these UN bodies: