Abstract

This article explores the legal and ethical challenges associated with the recognition of a “right to die” in France following the adoption on first reading of the bill enshrining a “right to aid in dying”, i.e. Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS). The article examines how medicalization, institutional norms, and individual autonomy have redefined the end-of-life experience. The analysis focuses on interpretations of the “right to die” and the “right to dispose of one’s body,” as well as their legal foundations. It reveals significant constraints tied to human dignity, moral responsibility, and third-party involvement. The study argues that establishing the “right to die” would undermine the foundation of the “right to life”. Instead of presenting death as a right, the article proposes strengthening palliative care and developing legal and ethical approaches that honor vulnerability and human solidarity.