New Delhi, July 16 -- a legal route that does not require leaving France.

The lower house of the French parliament voted 291 to 241 to adopt a law permitting medically assisted dying for adults with a serious, incurable, life-threatening illness in an advanced or terminal phase. France becomes the 12th country to legalise some form of assisted dying, joining the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, and Switzerland. The measure must survive a Constitutional Council review before it can take effect. A bloc of opposition lawmakers has signalled it intends to challenge the law there.

The comparison with other countries reveals how narrow the French framework actually is. The Netherlands and Belgium allow euthanasia for patients with unbearable psy...