James Godwin Reporting
Tuscany approved on Tuesday a right-to-die law, becoming the first region in Roman Catholic Italy to regulate assisted suicide in the absence of national legislation on a highly controversial topic.
Italy’s constitutional court de-facto legalised the procedure in 2019, and urged parliament to pass a law to provide a clear legal framework. But the invitation has gone unheeded, with national politicians ducking the issue.
Tuscany’s regional law, which passed by a 27 to 13 majority, spells out how assisted suicide requests should be handled, including an obligation for a medical panel to consider applications within 30 days.
If the criteria are met, the regional health service must provide the necessary medication and healthcare personnel within 10 days, unless the patient wants his own doctor to carry out the procedure.
The law allows doctors to refuse to participate on moral or ethical grounds – similar to what is already allowed by national legislation on abortion for so-called conscientious objectors.