Top French court upholds assisted dying law, rejects teen social media ban

The decisions mark both a victory and a setback for President Emmanuel Macron, who had championed both policies.France’s Constitutional Council has upheld a law passed by parliament to legalise assisted dying in specific circumstances, while striking down a separate bill that sought to ban under-15s from using social media.The council, France’s highest constitutional authority, issued its rulings on Friday. The decisions mark both a victory and a setback for President Emmanuel Macron, who had championed both policies.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Most Australian teens still online three months after under-16 banlist 2 of 3Australia’s under-16 social media ban failing, study shows: What it meanslist 3 of 3US appeals court says social media addiction lawsuits can proceedend of listFrance is set to join several European countries that have already legalised assisted dying, including Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg, among others.“This decision marks the culmination of a long democratic and parliamentary effort, conducted with listening, respect, and rigour,” Elisabeth Borne, MP and former French prime minister, said in a post on X about the assisted-dying decision.“I welcome this definitive validation of a text that guarantees everyone the freedom to choose, within a strict and protective framework.”The council upheld the law in its entirety while clarifying three provisions, including the so-called conscience clause, under which pharmacists may refuse to assist a patient in ending their life.Private treatment centres can also refuse to participate in the procedure if it goes against their mission, and other centres can serve local needs. Lastly, in the case of protected patients, the opinion of the person responsible for their welfare must be taken into account.French citizens and legal residents can request medical support in ending their lives under strict conditions. The legislation stipulates that the patient must be “suffering from an incurable, life-threatening illness in an advanced or terminal phase”, and that the illness must cause “constant physical or psychological suffering that is untreatable or unbearable”. Lastly, the patient must exercise free and informed consent.