Italy End-of-Life Questions
Press release
«The Pontifical Academy for Life warmly welcomes the decision of the Italian Constitutional Court not to allow the referendum to repeal Article 579 of the Penal Code, which prohibits the murder of the consenting person (such a referendum would have opened the way to euthanasia).
Parliament is now called to legislate on the matter of the so-called physician-assisted suicide, a practice unfortunately already permitted by the same Constitutional Court with the judgment no. 242 of 2019, although limited to very specific and well-defined situations. Parliament will have to legislate taking into account this Court ruling.
The Pontifical Academy for Life reiterates the teaching of the Catholic Church, reaffirms the value and respect for every human life, is opposed to suicide, therefore also to assisted suicide, as recalled several times by the Pope. The Pontifical Academy for Life stresses the importance of palliative care, and points out that the Italian law on palliative care (Law 38/2010) is still little known and little applied, while it would be a concrete response to the suffering of so many people, for a real help and accompaniment».
Vatican City, February 18, 2022