Euthanasia and end of life, the signature collection begins: target 50 thousand people in two weeks

Milan – The press conference to launch the collection of signatures for a popular initiative bill aimed at legalizing all end-of-life choices, including euthanasia , promoted by the Luca Coscion i association , was held today, Thursday 26 June, in Piazza XXV Aprile in Milan. The Constitutional Court will express its opinion for the first time on the issue of euthanasia on 8 July.

During the initiative, which was attended by Marco Cappato, treasurer of the Luca Coscioni Association and Matteo Mainardi, coordinator of the end-of-life campaigns - together with Carmela Rozza Pd, Michele Foggetta of the AVS council group and Alessandro Giungi, city councilor and exponents of Sentinelli Milano, the first signature collection table was activated. In the coming days, the activity will continue in hundreds of Italian squares.

The goal is to collect the signatures of at least 50,000 people in the two weeks needed to be able to submit the proposal to Parliament before the resumption of the discussion on end-of-life planned in the Senate on July 17. The bill, submitted to the Court of Cassation, recognizes the possibility for every adult, capable of understanding and willing and affected by an irreversible pathology , to access - upon free and informed request - medical assistance in voluntary death, even in non-terminal cases and not dependent on life-sustaining treatments.

The law provides for: the freedom to choose between self-administration or administration by a doctor; the taking charge by the National Health Service , with completion of checks within 30 days of the request; the possibility for doctors to participate on a voluntary basis . The text aims to overcome territorial inequalities and to guarantee a right enforceable throughout the country, in compliance with the constitutional principles of self-determination, dignity and humanity.

"People with irreversible pathologies and unbearable suffering have already had the right for seven years to be helped to die without suffering in Italy thanks to the ruling of the Constitutional Court - says Marco Cappato, Treasurer of the Luca Coscioni Association -. Now the Government wants to restrict and cancel this right by eliminating the role of the National Health Service. As the Luca Coscioni Association, instead, we propose through the Popular Initiative Law Legal Euthanasia to extend the right to be helped also by a doctor and also for people who are not dependent on health treatments such as terminal cancer. After collecting 50 thousand signatures, on behalf of the people who have joined, we will present this proposal by mid-July and Parliament will have to discuss it when it starts the debate on the issue, from 17 July onwards".