The possibility of a referendum on the end of life, raised by Emmanuel Macron, leaves constitutionalists skeptical

The end of life is his. By declaring on TF1 on Tuesday, May 13, that he could organize a referendum on this subject, Emmanuel Macron posed as the guarantor of the advent of the major societal reform, in his eyes, of his second five-year term. But the constitutional possibility of questioning the French on such a question is a matter of debate among legal experts.

The head of state said he was ready to hold a referendum while a bill is being discussed at first reading in the National Assembly. It establishes "a right to assisted dying." In short, access to a lethal procedure for terminally ill patients, at their request and subject to medical approval. The bill "has begun its journey in the Assembly. It will continue in the Senate. I think there must first be a parliamentary period," the head of state said on Tuesday. "But if, at the end of this first reading, we see that there is a fundamental deadlock, a kind of impossibility of seeing things through, then I think a referendum could be a way to break the deadlock."

In the event of a referendum in which the French vote in favor, the law would apply whether or not it has been adopted by Parliament. Emmanuel Macron is thus sending a warning to opponents of the bill, whether they are the right-wing majority in the Senate or Prime Minister François Bayrou.

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