The center-left's proposal on end-of-life care has begun for consideration in the Chamber. The bill is expected to be approved tomorrow, Wednesday.
This morning the majority reports (rapporteur: the president of the Health Commission Carla Fundon i) and the minority reports ( rapporteur: Corrado Meloni of FdI ) were illustrated.
Health Councillor Armando Bartolazzi was absent (in Rome for Ministry of Health commitments), which is why—after the centre-right requested his presence—the session was suspended and reconvened for 4 pm.
"The measure aims to guarantee the necessary healthcare to people wishing to access physician-assisted suicide , in accordance with the provisions of the Constitutional Court, starting with ruling no. 242/2019 and subsequently ruling 135 last year, which urged Parliament to legislate on the issue," Fundoni explained, then focusing on the issue of regional competences in the matter. "The law establishes a safe, transparent, and respectful process; it protects and supports patients who wish to end extreme suffering, ensuring they are not left alone or hindered by silence and bureaucracy, " he said. "This law is not in conflict with palliative care and the care pathways for patients in specific conditions; rather, it is the most humane and fairest complement to them." He continued: "As president of the Health Commission and as a physician, I support this law because I believe it is a necessary law. I can assure you that we have approached the issue of end-of-life care with the utmost respect, the utmost care, and a profound sense of responsibility, starting by listening to all those who, in various capacities, work to assist and care for individuals at a time of particular fragility.
In the minority report, Meloni noted that "the proposed law's claim to enforce ruling no. 242 of 2019 by defining roles, timeframes, and procedures regarding assisted suicide appears to clearly conflict with regional jurisdiction in this area. Indeed, end-of-life legislation concerns the civil system, a matter under the exclusive jurisdiction of the State. Assisted suicide, as an act of disposing of one's body, therefore requires uniform legislation across the entire national territory, which only the State can ensure."
The FdI councilor also cited another Court ruling, number 66 of 2025, regarding the need to prevent the risk of abuse against weak and vulnerable people, because in situations of fragility and suffering, the decision to end one's life could be induced or solicited by third parties.
