Italy: Church welcomes rejection of euthanasia referendum

Source: Vatican News

The Pontifical Academy for Life (PAV) has welcomed the rejection of the referendum bid on the decriminalisation of euthanasia in Italy. On 16 February the Italian Constitutional Court ruled out a petition calling for a referendum to repeal an article of the Penal Code that punishes "murder of a consenting person" with up to 15 years in jail.

This could have opened the way to the legalisation of euthanasia. However, according to the 15 High Court judges, repealing punishments in these cases would not safeguard the minimum constitutional standards governing the protection of human life in general, "particularly for the weak and the vulnerable."

In a statement released on Friday, the PAV says it "warmly welcomes" the decision, noting that future legislation on the so-called physician-assisted suicide will have to take into account this Court ruling. The bill is currently been examined in Parliament with centre-left parties generally in favour and centre-right against the proposed legislation.

In the statement, the PAV reiterates that the Catholic teaching on the value and respect of every human life is opposed to assisted suicide, as recalled several times by Pope Francis. It also stresses once again the importance of palliative care noting that the current law on this matter is little known and still remains scarcely implemented, "while it would be a concrete response to the suffering of so many people, giving real support and accompaniment."

In the General Audience on 9 February, Pope Francis strongly condemned euthanasia and assisted suicide as an unacceptable deviation from medical ethics, saying death "must be accepted, not administered," and that people suffering from a terminal illness should be accompanied towards death.

The Italian Bishops' Conference has also welcomed the Court decision, noting that it is also a reminder for "society as a whole" to support all efforts aimed at "overcoming or alleviating suffering or discomfort".

The Bishops say: "more attention should be paid to people living in conditions of fragility and vulnerability who ask to be treated with dignity and accompanied with respect and love".

Recalling Pope Francis's "clear words" on this issue at the General Audience, the CEI statement reiterates that "life is a right, not death, which must be accepted, not administered" and that "we must accompany people towards death, but not provoke death or facilitate any form of suicide."

Debate over euthanasia and assisted suicide has come to the fore in Italy in recent years, with centre-left parties generally in favour of new legislation on end-of-life issues, and the centre-right opposed to it.

In 2017, the Italian Parliament passed a new Law on living wills, known as the Advance Healthcare Directives ('Disposizioni anticipate di trattamento' or 'DAT'). The new legislation does not legalise assisted suicide, but gives adults in their full mental capacity the possibility to leave written instructions regarding their preferences for medical treatment in case they are no longer able to make that choice at a given moment because of illness or mental incapacity.

In 2019 the Constitutional Court advised that Parliament clarify the issue of assisted suicide in a new law, while indicating for some extreme cases conditions at which medical aid to suicide may not be punished.

The failure of lawmakers to agree on a bill that would allow terminally ill patients to seek assisted suicide through the Italian health system and protect doctors from any legal action prompted advocates of euthanasia to opt for the referendum.

Following the ruling the 'Luca Coscioni' right-to-die Association, a driving force behind the referendum bid, pledged to continue its battle to legalise euthanasia, saying the Court's decision "makes the road longer and more complicated".

Pro-life organizations, including the 'Popolo della Famiglia' (PDF), Pro Vita & Famiglia and the Committee 'No all'Eutanasia Legale', on the other hand, hailed the Court's ruling, remarking that it spurs the effective implementation of the Law on palliative care which was introduced in Italy in 2010.