The Italian government on Friday formally challenged a controversial law passed by the Tuscany region in March, which regulates assisted suicide. It is the first time such legislation has been approved at a regional level in Italy.
The law, which allows for medically assisted suicide under specific conditions, was passed by Tuscany’s regional council earlier this year. It made Tuscany the first Italian region to take such a step. The national government’s legal challenge could set up a significant constitutional clash between regional and central authorities.
Tuscany’s centre-right opposition had already lodged an appeal against the law before the government’s intervention. They argue that assisted suicide should only be addressed through national legislation and not at the regional level.
Law follows Constitutional Court ruling region argues
Tuscany Governor Eugenio Giani has defended the measure. “Tuscany will not become the new Switzerland,” he said, referring to the long-standing practice of assisted suicide at Swiss clinics such as Dignitas. He stressed that the regional law closely adheres to the strict criteria outlined by Italy’s Constitutional Court in 2019.
In that ruling, the court said assisted suicide could be considered legal in very limited circumstances. These include the presence of an irreversible pathology, unbearable physical or psychological suffering, and the patient’s dependence on life-sustaining treatment. The court also urged the Italian Parliament to introduce comprehensive national legislation on end-of-life issues, something lawmakers have so far failed to do.
While advocates say the regional law in Tuscany simply follows the Constitutional Court’s guidance, parties on the right of Italy’s political spectrum remain firmly opposed to any move that might make the measure more accessible.
The debate has been further fuelled by a landmark event that took place on Friday: for the first time, a person underwent assisted suicide within Italy. The individual was supported by the Luca Coscioni Association, which campaigns for the right to die. Until now, the association had only helped terminally ill patients travel to Switzerland to end their lives at the Dignitas clinic.
In 2022, the Constitutional Court ruled against a referendum on euthanasia and assisted suicide.
