French Constitutional Council approves end-of-life law while rejecting social media ban for minors

France's Constitutional Council has cleared landmark end-of-life legislation for official promulgation, upholding the creation of a conditional right to assisted dying while establishing three interpretative reservations. The decision explicitly guarantees a conscience clause for private and religious healthcare institutions, allowing them to opt out of performing assisted dying procedures. The high court also validated an emergency agricultural reform package.

However, magistrates struck down a flagship proposal championed by President Emmanuel Macron that aimed to ban social media access for minors under 15. The court ruled that the sweeping restriction disproportionately infringed upon personal freedoms, effectively invalidating the main provision of the digital safety bill. Macron commended the court's validation of the end-of-life law, framing the outcome as completing an "exemplary democratic debate."

Sources: Le Figaro, La Tribune, Le Monde, Libération, Politico Europe (Defense)