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Austria to make assisted suicide legal from next year

Austria's government on Saturday set out its plans for legalising assisted suicide from 2022 in response to a court ruling, which found that the current ban violated fundamental rights.

Published: 24 October 2021 06:07 CEST
Updated: 25 October 2021 09:43 CEST
The federal chancellery in Vienna, Austria
The picture shows the federal chancellery in Vienna as Austrian MPs are expected to approve the proposals on assisted suicide before the end of the year. picture alliance / Kerstin Joensson/AP/dpa | Kerstin Joensson

In December 2020, the constitutional court ordered the government to lift the existing ban on assisted dying, which is punishable by up to five years in prison.

According to a summary of the proposed legislation from the justice ministry, adults who are terminally ill or suffer from a permanent and debilitating condition will be able to access help with ending their own lives.

Two doctors will have to assess each case, one of whom will have to be qualified in palliative medicine.

Among their duties will be to determine whether the patient is capable of coming to the decision independently.

In addition, at least 12 weeks will have to pass before access is granted to make sure euthanasia is not being sought due to a temporary crisis.

This period will be shortened to two weeks for patients in the “terminal phase” of an illness.

The proposals will now be subject to scrutiny by experts before coming to parliament, where MPs are expected to approve them before the end of the year.

If no new regulation were to be in place by the end of 2021, the existing ban on assisted dying would simply lapse, leaving the practice unregulated.

The Bishop of Innsbruck Hermann Glettler said that the proposals were a “sensitive and responsible” way of trying to conform with the constitutional court’s ruling and welcomed the fact that they also include plans to boost funding for palliative care.

However, he said further safeguards should be added to the process patients will have to go through.

Elsewhere in Europe, euthanasia is legal in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and – since June 2021 – in Spain. However, traditionally Catholic states such as Ireland and Poland are holding out against liberalisation.

Switzerland allows assisted suicide, while Norway and Sweden permit passive euthanasia under a strict set of circumstances.

READ ALSO: Italian euthanasia petition big enough to force referendum

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POLITICS

‘Glass half full’: Who is Austria’s Beer Party candidate for chancellor?

Austria's controversial but increasingly popular Beer Party announced it would run in the upcoming National Council elections, with party leader and former rock star Dominik Wlazny seeking the chancellery.

Published: 30 April 2024 16:38 CEST
'Glass half full': Who is Austria's Beer Party candidate for chancellor?

With his distinctive long dark hair and rebellious torn jeans, punk rock singer Dominik Wlazny of Austria’s Beer Party has emerged as an intriguing candidate for the country’s next chancellor, just as he did when he ran for president—and surprisingly did better than expected.

Yet, Wlazny announced this Tuesday that the Beer Party will definitely be running in the national elections and seeks to reach a self-imposed funding target of  €1.2 million. “Our glass is more than half full, and there is massive support,” he said at a short press conference.

Wlazny, who joked that his announcement would probably cause “gasps” at the other parties’ headquarters, did not answer any questions after his statement but announced another press conference next week with more details. 

READ ALSO: How do Austrians elect their chancellor?

In almost all of the most recently published polls, the Beer Party would overcome the four percent hurdle, meaning Wlazny may not be the country’s next chancellor. Still, the protest party might grab seats in Austria’s National Council. The left-of-centre movement is likely to attract protest voters in particular and could be an unpleasant opponent for the SPÖ, Greens and KPÖ.

Wlazny’s previous electoral performance provides some insight into the Beer Party’s potential in the upcoming elections. In the 2022 presidential elections, the medical graduate, long known primarily as band leader Marco Pogo, came third with 8.3 percent of the vote and even came second in Vienna.

Who’s behind the beer party?

The Beer Party, a satirical political movement, was founded in 2015 by Austrian comedian, doctor, brewer, and musician Dominik Wlazny, known by his stage name Marco Pogo. The party was a response to perceived corruption and a lack of transparency in Austrian politic, aiming to bring a fresh and unconventional approach to governance.

Wlazny studied medicine in Vienna and worked as a general doctor in a hospital before quitting in 2014 to focus on music.

Wlazny said that he was inspired by one of the songs played by the punk band he was a part of, which included the lyrics: ‘If you like to be fat and drink a lot every day, then vote for us now, the Beer Party, and we’ll abolish the alcohol tax.”

More serious proposals have slowly replaced the controversial party policies. When he ran for president, Wlazny said he would vet candidates proposed as ministers, making them go through a hiring process like in a company, to seek to avoid political chaos due to unfit leaders.

Currently, the president usually doesn’t reject the government’s choices.

“I often have the feeling that it’s harder to get an apprenticeship in Austria than a ministerial post,” Wlazny said at the time.

Wlazny also said that, as president, he would want to push for establishing a so-called “Future Ministry” to check the impact of policy decisions on security, the environment, health, and other sectors.

He said measures should have been taken decades ago to avoid the country’s dependence on fossil fuels, which hurts it now amid the ripple effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

READ ALSO: Why is support for Austria’s far-right FPÖ rising?

But what are the party’s program points?

There have been none so far. The Beer Party hasn’t made its National Council election promises public and hasn’t announced a party list, at least not yet.

Austrian political commentator Thomas Hofer told the newspaper Kurier that the strategy is clever: “As long as he doesn’t have a detailed program, Wlazny remains less vulnerable in terms of content—even if this is, of course, problematic in terms of democratic politics.” 

There is also very little information on the party’s website. One page, called “menu,” holds some of the party’s general and superficial proposals, such as “active fight against child and family poverty,” “transparent and comprehensible rental price regulation,” “educational equality for all,” “expansion of the public transport network,” and more.

The party also claims women should have the “right to make decisions about their own body” and that small and medium enterprises are the “backbone of the economy” and a focus for the politicians. 

Additionally, they advocate for “appropriate doctor/patient care ratio”, “environmentally friendly, sustainable energy policy for a climate-neutral Austria”, and “promotion of research and development”, among others. 

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