France is one step closer to legalising euthanasia after approving a bill that allows doctors to sedate terminally ill patients until they die . The bill stops short of recommending lethal injections and avoids the terms euthanasia or assisted suicide , but would give people 'the right to deep , continuous sedation until death ' . This must be at the patient 's request , but only when their condition is life-threatening in the short-term . Protests : Demonstrators gather near the French National Assembly holding white silhouettes as part of a silent protest against euthanasia in Paris on March 10 . Slogans read : 'Let 's relieve but do not kill ' On March 10. pro-euthanasia demonstrators held signs reading : 'Francois let 's act like Holland ' . Euthanasia has been taking place in Holland for many years . The proposed measure was passed by a vote of 436 to 34 in France 's lower house of Parliament , and it must now be debated by the Senate . Backed by the Socialist government , the bill would also force doctors in France to follow end-of-life instructions expressed by the patients themselves , or written in advance if they are no longer able to state their wishes . Almost one in 20 people in northern Belgium died using euthanasia in 2013 , more than doubling the numbers in six years , a study released today showed . The universities of Ghent and Brussels found that since euthanasia was legalised in 2002 , the acceptance of ending a life at the patient 's request has greatly increased . While a 2007 survey showed 1.9 percent of deaths from euthanasia in the region , the figure was 4.6 percent in 2013 . 'Euthanasia has been increasingly accepted by the patients as a valid option at the end of their life , ' said Ghent University ethics professor Freddy Mortier . 'Physicians themselves are more inclined to comply with the wishes of the patients . '' Euthanasia is legal only in the Netherlands , Belgium and Luxembourg . Earlier this month in a speech at France 's lower house of Parliament , Prime minister Manuel Valls praised ' a reform that proclaims the right to die peacefully , in dignity and without suffering ' . The bill has stirred debate in France and prompted a call for the preservation of 'the prohibition of killing ' by five high-profile Christian , Muslim and Jewish leaders . It has prompted protests by those claiming the bill amounts to disguised euthanasia , as well as pro-euthanasia campaigners who believe it does not go far enough . Doctors are also divided about the idea . So-called terminal or 'palliative sedation ' can involve medicating patients until they die naturally of their illnesses , or until they starve . The method does not actively kill patients , but some doctors say it can mean patients are sedated for weeks before they die , and that it may be more humane to euthanise . French debate over end-of-life legislation resurfaced last year over the case of comatose Frenchman Vincent Lambert . His wife wants doctors to stop life support but his parents disagree . The case is pending at the European Court of Human Rights . Some protesters claim the new bill amounts to disguised euthanasia , while others say it does n't go far enough .
France approves a bill allowing doctors to sedate patients until they die . Comment: Bill passed lower house of Parliament , and will now be debated by Senate .