Bill to Guarantee Equal Access to Palliative Care and End-of-Life Support for All

This French legislative proposal, introduced in February 2026, aims to reform and strengthen the national framework for palliative care and end-of-life support. It establishes a formal legal definition of palliative and accompanying care, setting a consistent standard across the healthcare system to ensure patients and families receive coordinated support regardless of where they live. A central element of the bill is the creation of new 'maisons d'accompagnement' (accompaniment houses) — dedicated facilities designed to provide end-of-life care for terminally ill patients and support for their loved ones in a non-hospital setting. These spaces are intended to bridge the gap between hospital-based care and home-based dying, offering a more humane and accessible alternative. The proposal also reinforces the legal framework around advance directives ('directives anticipées'), strengthening patients' rights to pre-specify their end-of-life care wishes and ensuring those directives are respected by medical professionals. This builds on existing legal provisions but introduces more robust enforcement and awareness mechanisms. Overall, the bill seeks to address significant geographic and socioeconomic disparities in access to palliative care across France, ensuring that quality end-of-life support is not limited to urban centers or to those with greater resources.

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