Italian government challenges Emilia-Romagna end-of-life law — ANSA English

The Italian government has decided to challenge, on constitutional grounds, the Emilia-Romagna region’s law on end-of-life issues. The Council of Ministers made the decision on Thursday, ANSA English reports.

Government arguments

According to sources at Palazzo Chigi, the regional law encroaches on areas of the state’s exclusive competence and does not guarantee effective palliative care. The government believes that Emilia-Romagna delegated the definition of certain requirements to regional guidelines, circumventing limitations set by Italy’s Constitutional Court.

Government sources also said that the law does not contain sufficiently specific safeguards to ensure that a person will genuinely have prior access to an individualized palliative care pathway and other support systems aimed at preventing suicide. According to them, the region promised to amend the legislation.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Palliative care and the legislative gap

Palazzo Chigi noted that the current government increased funding for palliative care by €40 million, to €140 million. At the same time, according to its representatives, many regions are still far from meeting targets for using the funds allocated to them at the local level.

Regional-level end-of-life laws have also been adopted by Veneto, Tuscany and Sardinia. The Luca Coscioni Association, which advocates for the right to die, has helped several people in Italy access assisted suicide following a 2019 ruling by Italy’s highest court. According to ANSA, the Constitutional Court set strict criteria for cases in which assisted suicide is legal and called on parliament to regulate end-of-life issues nationwide. Parliament has yet to do so.