Macron says France will prepare 'end of life' bill this year

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers his speech as he attends a conference on the end-of-life, after a panel of citizens worked on the issue in recent months, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France April 3, 2023. Aurelien Morissard/Pool via REUTERS

PARIS(Reuters) - President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday France must improve the availability of palliative care and there would be a draft bill by the end of the summer on whether some form of assisted dying should be allowed.

He said the bill would build on the work of a group of 184 randomly appointed French citizens who have debated the issue since December. They concluded their work this weekend with 76% of them saying they favoured allowing some form of assistance to die, for those who want it.