Pope Leo voices alarm on assisted dying laws in France

Pope Leo firmly ​reiterated the Catholic Church's opposition ​to assisted dying ‌initiatives on Friday ​during his visit to France, two months the country created a legal right ‌to die for those with incurable illnesses after years of intense debate. The first US pope did not specifically mention France's ‌new law, which drew heated opposition from local Catholic bishops, but ‌criticized what he called "profit-driven ventures" such as surrogacy and assisted dying laws in a speech at the Elysee.

"I firmly reiterate that the protection ⁠of ​the right ⁠to life constitutes the indispensable foundation of every other human right," the pope ⁠said in address to French President Emanuel Macron and other politicians. "I ​am concerned at times by those trends in society ⁠that risk turning science and technology into profit-driven ventures promoting genetic manipulation, surrogacy, ⁠the ​trade in human organs or the possibility of arranging one's own death," he said.

The practice of surrogacy is banned ⁠in France, though the country's top court has ruled that children ⁠born via ⁠surrogacy abroad should be recognised in France as the children of their intended parents.