The Luca Coscioni Association’s proposal on assisted suicide was approved in Tuscany on February 11, 2025. Titled the right-to-die law, it implements the Italian Constitutional Court’s rulings on euthanasia, reopening a national debate on the topic.
This decision has, unsurprisingly, been met with fierce opposition from centre-right parties, who have moved to block the regional law and have called to the Statutory Guarantee Board to confirm whether the law complies with the Region’s statute. Elena Meini, the Lega’s group leader, commented ‘A region cannot decide autonomously on an issue like this.’ The Board now has 30 days to make a decision, during which the law cannot be enacted.
In 2019, the Court ruled that assisted suicide is not always punishable, effectively decriminalising euthanasia under certain conditions, which came in response to the case of Fabiano Antoniani, a man who became quadriplegic and blind after a car accident and sought assisted suicide in Switzerland. It was ruled that assisted suicide should not be punished when a patient is suffering from an irreversible condition that causes intolerable physical or psychological suffering, is fully capable of making autonomous decisions, is being kept alive by life-sustaining treatments, and has undergone palliative care options.
In ruling No. 135 of 2021, the Constitutional Court clarified its decision made in 2019. It stipulated procedural aspects by emphasising that any request for assisted suicide must go through a rigorous medical and legal review process, however, it declined to decriminalise the practice entirely, maintaining that it remains illegal under Italian law, except for the specific cases outlined in the 2019 ruling
Tuscany has a long history with addressing death issues, between being the first Italian region to outlaw the death penalty to presently considering legalising euthanasia. While euthanasia is still illegal on a national level, regional governments have some authority over healthcare administrations, which is how Tuscany was able to pass this law, which follows a petition that gathered 10,000 signatures from the Association and was approved with 27 votes in favour from the Democratic Party (Pd), Italia Viva, and Five Star Movement councillors, while 13 centre-right councillors from Fratelli d’Italia, Forza Italia, and Lega opposing it.
Under the new law, a new multidisciplinary medical commission – comprising a palliative physician, neurologist, psychiatrist, anaesthetist, nurse and psychologist – will be established at each health authority. This commission will assess whether a patient meets the criteria for assisted suicide and determine the procedure to be followed. The law also mandates that health facilities provide the necessary support, assistance, and means for carrying out the procedure, with the drugs required being funded by the region’s budget as an extra service.
This development in Tuscany has also sparked debate around Italy, with other regions considering similar laws, while others argue that such decisions should not be made regionally, rather on a national level. (Mina Lozanova)
