Europe's news in English

COPY LINK

EUTHANASIA

Italian PM expresses ‘doubts’ over assisted suicide

Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has expressed reservations about a recent court decision decriminalising assisted suicide, in comments to the Corriere della Sera newspaper published Saturday.

Published: 29 September 2019 11:06 CEST

Italian PM expresses 'doubts' over assisted suicide

Photo: AFP

Conte said that as a lawyer by training and a Catholic, while he had no doubt about the right to life, he was not so sure about the right to die.

He was speaking to the newspaper after the constitutional court ruled on Wednesday that assisted suicide could be lawful, despite a law forbidding it in Italy.

“To choose to be taken towards death and to ask help from personnel for that, who must be specialised — there some doubt is permitted,” said Conte.

“And if one did get to that, one would have to at least recognise a conscientious objection for anyone who did not feel capable (of taking part),” he added.

Wednesday's court ruling stressed that assisted suicide could only concern patients with incurable conditions who were being kept alive artificially and whose physical and psychological suffering was judged to be unbearable.

The patients concerned would also have to be fully capable of taking such a decision freely and consciously, the court added.

READ ALSO: 'Assisted suicide is not a crime', Italian court rules

The court also made it clear that its decision had been taken in the expectation that parliament would make the relevant changes to existing law.

Italy, which has a strong Catholic tradition, currently forbids euthanasia, and has laws punishing instigating or assisting suicide with up to 12 years in prison.

A number of European countries have laws permitting assisted suicide under strictly regulated conditions, but contentious cases still come before the courts.

Earlier this month in the Netherlands, the first country to legalise euthanasia, a court acquitted a doctor over the euthanasia of a woman with severe dementia.

The case attracted media attention due to details of how the unnamed patient was given a sedative in her coffee but nevertheless had to be restrained by her family as the now-retired doctor injected the euthanasia drug.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.

Become a Member to leave a comment.

A person in a medical coat holds hands with another

Euthanasia and assisted suicide might be spoken of in the same breath, but they are quite different. Here's what you need to know. Photo by Matheus Ferrero on Unsplash

The terms assisted suicide, assisted dying and euthanasia are often used interchangeably – even by media and politicians covering the matter.

There are however some key differences, both in terms of the legal situation and the practice itself.

Assisted suicide is where a medical professional, usually a doctor but sometimes a pharmacist or other specialist, provides some form of medication to assist a patient as they commit suicide.

EXPLAINED: How foreigners can access assisted suicide in Switzerland

Crucially, it is the patient who takes the final step, i.e. by taking a medication or by pressing a switch through which the medication is administered.

Euthanasia on the other hand is where the medication which ends someone’s life is administered by a doctor or medical professional.

Euthanasia is sometimes known as voluntary euthanasia, which references the fact that the patient volunteers for the process by providing consent.

Other forms of medical intervention which lead to death – for instance turning off life support for someone who has been in a long-term coma – do not fit within the definition of voluntary euthanasia.

The term ‘assisted dying’ is used as a grouping term to refer to both assisted suicide and euthanasia, although media sources – particularly in the United Kingdom – often use assisted dying when referring primarily to assisted suicide.

What are the rules for assisted suicide and euthanasia in Switzerland?

The law in Switzerland recognises the distinction between assisted suicide and euthanasia.

Euthanasia is not permitted under law in Switzerland, while assisted suicide is allowed for both locals and foreigners.

While article 115 of the Swiss penal code prohibits assisted suicide for “self-serving reasons” and article 114 prohibits “causing the death” of a person for “commendable motives, and in particular out of compassion for the victim”, assisted suicide for non-selfish reasons is not specifically prohibited as long as certain conditions are met.

The Swiss supreme court has ruled the following: people must commit suicide by their own hand, for example, by taking medication themselves. A doctor cannot administer a lethal injection without being liable for criminal prosecution.

People must also be aware of actions they are undertaking and have given due consideration to their situation. In addition, they be consistently sure they wish to die, and, of course, not be under the influence of another person, or group of persons.

READ MORE: What you need to know about assisted suicide in Switzerland

Several other jurisdictions across Europe and the globe also make a legal distinction between the two, although euthanasia is legal in some countries including the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Columbia.

What is the medical procedure involved?

Most Swiss associations request that patients drink sodium pentobarbital, a sedative that in strong enough doses causes the heart muscle to stop beating.

Since the substance is alkaline, it burns a bit when swallowed.

A professional prepares the needle, but it is up to the patient to open the valve that allows the short-acting barbiturate to mix with a saline solution and begin flowing into their vein.

A video is shot of the patient stating their name, date of birth and that they understand what they are about to do. The camera keeps rolling as they open the valve and the footage is used as evidence that they willingly took their own life.

It usually takes about 20 to 30 seconds for the patient to fall asleep.

Url copied to clipboard!