Lawmakers in France vote in favour of legalising assisted dying

France's parliament has voted in favour of a bill to legalise assisted dying, potentially paving the way for euthanasia and assisted dying under what campaigners say would still be some of the strictest conditions in Europe.

- Jon Henley

After a sometimes emotional session, deputies passed the first reading of the bill by a vote of 305 to 199. They also unanimously backed a less contentious law establishing a right to palliative care in specialist end-of-life institutions.

Both votes are the start of a long parliamentary process that will require the bills to move on to the senate - the upper house - and then back to the lower house for a second reading, meaning they are unlikely to become law before next year.

The government has described the right-to-die law as "an ethical response to the need to support the sick and the suffering", saying it was "a balance between respect and personal autonomy".