End of life: nearly 3 out of 4 doctors say they are in favor of a law on active medical assistance in dying
A law supported by a majority of citizens, including doctors. While two end-of-life legislation is about to be examined in the National Assembly, a poll conducted by Ifop for La Tribune on Sunday in partnership with the Association for the Right to Die with Dignity highlights that nearly three-quarters (74%) of the doctors surveyed say they are in favor of legalizing active medical assistance in dying.
Support is even stronger among female doctors (79% in favor) than among male doctors (70%). Furthermore, while both private practice and hospital doctors support this legalization, approval is higher among the former (81%) than among the latter (69%).
For the doctors surveyed, a large majority affirm that active assistance in dying is compatible with palliative care (71%) and that it constitutes end-of-life care in the same way as deep and continuous sedation with alteration of consciousness maintained until death (70%).
Furthermore, 77% of those surveyed said they had received questions about the possibilities of accessing active assistance in dying, in France or in another country, or requests for active assistance in dying.
73% of physicians also agree, without taking an active role, to support a patient who requests assistance in dying. This support could also take the form of assistance with the procedures or preparing the file. In detail, 27% of them say they definitely agree, and 46% say they probably agree to provide such support.
This position is popular compared to active participation in assisted dying: 58% of doctors here agree to want to participate in assisted dying for a patient who has reached the end of their life and who expressly and repeatedly requests it.
Finally, regarding euthanasia and assisted suicide, the first procedure - namely the administration of a lethal product by a third party - attracts wider support (68%) than the legalization of the second (60%), which consists of self-administration of a lethal product.
Data collection methodology The survey was conducted among a sample of 400 physicians, representative of general practitioners and specialists practicing in hospitals and in the community. The representativeness of the sample was ensured by the quota method (gender, age, medical profession, and practice setting). The interviews were conducted by self-administered online questionnaire from April 7 to 16, 2025.
BFM TV
