The Italian legislator’s silence on physician-assisted suicide: legal and bioethical implications

Main Article Content

Rosagemma Ciliberti
Nicola Bragazzi
Anna Siri
Paolo Petralia
Alessandro Bonsignore

Keywords

bioethics, end of life, Italian Legislation, physician-assisted suicide, assisted dying, palliative care, euthanasia, self-determination, anthropological perspectives

Abstract

The issue of the end of life and, in particular, those of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are certainly the most controversial ethical, medical and law issues with well-known news judicial cases.  Within the international context, the authors analyze the ethical and legal debate in the Italian system in light of the recent ruling of the Italian Constitutional Court amending article 580 of the Criminal Code, allowing the physician-assisted suicide under certain conditions. Legal background information on the right to die is described and discussed. The rapid succession of judicial cases on the end of life underlines the urgency of a discipline capable of providing adequate references to social issues and duly considering possible interference or abuse. Further legislative efforts are needed by the Italian Parliament and the Professional College of Physicians for the concrete activation and effective functioning of the Italian Council's decision.

Abstract 391 | PDF Downloads 117

References

1. Ciliberti R, Gorini I, Gazzaniga V, De Stefano F, Gulino M. The Italian law on informed consent and advance directives: New rules of conduct for the autonomy of doctors and patients in end-of-life care. J Critical Care 2018; 48: 178–182.
2. Belgian Advisory Committee on Bioethics. Opinion n. 1 of 12 May 1997 concerning the advisability of a legal regulation on euthanasia. Available from: https://www.health.belgium.be/sites/default/files/uploads/fields/fpshealth_theme_file/opinion_1_web.pdf
3. Belgian Advisory Committee on Bioethics. Opinion n. 73 of 11 September 2017 on euthanasia in case of non-terminally ill patients, psychological suffering and psychiatric disorders. Available from: https://www.health.belgium.be/sites/default/files/uploads/fields/fpshealth_theme_file/opinion_73_web.pdf
4. The Special Senate Committee on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide. Of Life and Death. Final Report of. Ottawa: Supply and Services Canada; 1995. Available from. https://sencanada.ca/content/sen/committee/351/euth/rep/lad-e.htm
5. Council of Europe. Steering Committee On Bioethics (Cdbi). Replies to the questionnaire for member states relating to euthanasia. Strasbourg, 20 January 2003 CDBI / INF (2003) Available on: https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=09000016803a72c2
6. The Danish Council of Ethics End of life. Ethical Challenges and Problems. 2006. Available from: https://www.etiskraad.dk/~/media/Etisk-Raad/en/Publications/End-of-Life-2006.pdf?la=da
7. Casonato C. Fine vita: il diritto all’autodeterminazione. Il Mulino, 2017: 4(17): 597-604
8. Banović B, Turanjanin V. Euthanasia: Murder or Not: A Comparative Approach. Iran J Public Health 2014; 43(10): 1316–1323.
9. European Court of Human Rights. Affaire Haas c. Suisse. 20 Janvier 2011. Available from: http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng?i=001-102939
10. European Court of Human Rights. Case of lambert and Other v. France. 5 June 2015. Available from: http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng?i=001-155352
11. Italian Court of Cassation, 02/06/1998, n. 3147.
12. Casonato C. Assisted suicide in Italy: constitutional right or wishful thinking? BioLaw Journal – Rivista di BioDiritto 2019; 2: 147-149.
13. Press release dated 25.09.2019 issued by the Press Office by the Constitutional Court.
14. Foucault M. La volontà di sapere. Milano: Feltrinelli; 2009
15. Camus A. Il mito di Sisifo. Bompiani: Milano; 2009, p. 7.
16. Simmel G. Metafisica della morte e altri scritti. Se: Milano; 2012, p. 9.
17. Neri D. Autonomy and dignity at the end of life. Politeia, XXXIII, 125, 2017; 117-125.
18. Kuhse H. Is there a tension between autonomy and dignity? In: Kemp P, Rendtorff JD, Mattson Johansen N, (Eds.) Bioethics and Biolaw, Vol. II: Four Ethical Principles. Copenhagen: Rhodos International Science and Art Publishers and Center for Ethics and Law; 2000: 61–73.
19. Schroeder D. Dignity: Two Riddles and Four Concepts. Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics 2008; 17: 230-238.
20. NBC Bioethics issues related to the end of human life. Rome: 1995.

21. Message of the Holy Father Francis to the Participants in the European Regional Meeting of the "World Medical Association " on "End-of-Life" Issues. Available from: http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/it/messages/pont-messages /2017/documents/papa-francesco_20171107_messaggio-monspaglia.html
22. Petrini C. After the Italian Constitutional Court’s ruling on the absence of criminal liability for assisted suicide: the role of ethics committees and clinical ethics. Ann Ist Super Sanità 2019; 55(4): 311-313.
23. Patuzzo S, De Stefano F, Ciliberti R. The Italian code of medical deontology. Historical, ethical and legal issues. Acta Biomedica 2018; 89(2): 157–164.

Most read articles by the same author(s)

1 2 3 4 5 > >>