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Italy: Constitutional court blocks euthanasia referendum

February 16, 2022

The court said that the referendum would not guarantee "minimum protection of human life," especially for "weak and vulnerable persons." Two party leaders have said decriminalization is now up to parliament.

https://p.dw.com/p/474q8
Logo of last year's referendum campaign in Italian ("Referendum eutanasia legale: liberi fino alla fine") in front of the Palace of Justice in Rome
Italy's Constitutional Court has blocked a referendum on euthanasiaImage: Matteo Nardone/Pacific Press/picture alliance

Italy's Constitutional Court on Tuesday blocked a possible referendum on the decriminalization of assisted suicide.

Advocates for the referendum gathered 750,000 signatures in August, which is well above the minimum required.

The court said in a press release that the referendum would not guarantee "minimum protection of human life in general, particularly with reference to weak and vulnerable persons."

A protest in favor of the euthanasia referendum in October 2021; protesters stand in Cavour Square in Rome and listen to a speech
Last year advocates for the referendum gathered far more signatures than were requiredImage: Matteo Nardone/Pacific Press/picture alliance

What is the current law around euthanasia in Italy?

Under current Italian law, anyone helping another person commit suicide can be jailed for between five and 12 years.

In 2019, the court called on parliament to clarify its law on assisted suicide. The law said that euthanasia could be permissible for those with an incurable illness causing "intolerable" suffering and who were on life support.

The court ruled that those patients must remain capable of making "free and informed decisions."

Anyone who does not fall into the category stipulated by the 2019 law has no legal recourse to assisted suicide in Italy.

What happens now?

Following the ruling, Enrico Letta of the Democratic Party (PD) said it was now up to parliament to address the issue with a concrete law. The PD is the third-largest party in parliament and participates in the coalition government under Mario Draghi.

Italy's political parties remain split on the issue, with the center-left generally supporting it and the center-right opposed. Pope Francis recently condemned euthanasia, calling it an unacceptable deviation from medical ethics.

A poll by the SWG research group in 2019 showed 92% of Italians who were asked said they were in favor of allowing assisted suicide and euthanasia.

sdi/jsi (AFP, Reuters, dpa)