PARIS, April 13 (Xinhuanet) -- The French parliament Wednesday approved a bill that grants terminally ill patients the "right to die" but stops short of legalizing euthanasia, French television TF1 reported.

    According to the bill, terminally ill patients have the right to ask doctors to stop their treatment, even if this would lead to their deaths.

    Families of unconscious patients will also have the right to request the termination of life support treatment. Doctors should respect the patients' or the families' requests after careful verifications with them.

    However, the bill does not include the practice of euthanasia as it does not allow doctors to actively end a patient's life.

    Both right-wing and left-wing parties in France hailed the passage of the bill, especially in the light of the case of Vincent Humbert, a 22-year-old fireman who was left blind, mute and paralyzed after a road accident in 2000.

    In 2003, Humbert begged President Jacques Chirac to let his mother end his life. His mother tried but failed to kill him with a lethal injection.

    Later his doctor switched off his life support and Humbert died shortly afterwards. The doctor was then put under a judicial investigation for "poisoning with intent". Enditem