[Euthanasia in Italy #1] The current situation and dramatic developments
- リップディー（RiP:D)
- Nov 19
- 4 min read
[Euthanasia in Italy: Current Situation and Dramatic Developments]
In 2019 , the Italian Constitutional Court made a groundbreaking decision.
"Assisted suicide for a person who retains their capacity to make decisions and is in intolerable pain is not necessarily a crime under certain circumstances."
This is the judgment that was made.
The ruling came in favor of Federico Carboni , who was left severely quadriplegic in a traffic accident and was completely bedridden for more than a decade .
Although Italy has not yet legalized euthanasia as a nation, at this point it has finally become a country where euthanasia is legal (in terms of form it is similar to Germany ).
Italy's first euthanasia case: Federico Carboni (44)
Ten years ago, I was in a traffic accident and injured my spine, which left me completely unable to move.
She has been receiving nursing care 24 hours a day.
In Italy , where the Vatican, the center of the Roman Catholic Church , is located and where its ethical influence remains strong, this decision's "conditional acceptance of euthanasia" sent shock waves around the world.
The Ethics Committee also approved Carboni's euthanasia as an exceptional measure, and he achieved his wish in his home country on June 16, 2022.
Behind this process lies a civic group called the Luca Coscioni Association .
The association was founded by Luca Coscioni (who passed away in 2006) , a politician and activist who suffered from ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) .
The Italian Euthanasia Society is extremely active and passionate in its activities, and its representative, Marco Cappato , is a figure of great social influence who has gained national support.
After the historic ruling in 2019, the association launched a large-scale campaign calling for a referendum, ultimately collecting 1.2 million signatures in a short space of time, far exceeding the required number. However, the referendum itself was not approved by the Constitutional Court, and no systemic reform was achieved (meaning it was crushed by the privileged class).
Furthermore, the background to Federico's euthanasia is the radical provocative actions taken by Cappato in 2017 .
He accompanied Fabiano Antoniani (nicknamed Fabo), who was quadriplegic and blind, to the Swiss euthanasia organization Dignitas, and after returning to the country, he publicly stated that he had "committed acts that could be considered assisted suicide" and expressed his intention to urge prosecutors to indict him.
Under Italian criminal law, accompanying someone to a euthanasia in Switzerland is considered "assistance in suicide " and can be punishable by 5 to 12 years in prison. Unlike in Japan, it is not possible to openly accompany someone to Switzerland . The same is true in the UK and, in the past, in Spain (though there are currently cases where people have been "released" and not prosecuted, there have been many cases of arrests in the past).
Although the Milan court subsequently (reluctantly) decided not to prosecute in 2019, this incident, known as the "Cappato decision," had a decisive impact on the debate over euthanasia in Italy.
Since this incident, public opinion has shifted dramatically, with support for euthanasia exceeding 70% as of 2019 and now reported to be at 84% .
With this social environment in place, the Luca Coscioni Association raised funds through crowdfunding and even supported the construction of a special euthanasia device (2022), based on the self-determination of Federico, the first person in Italy to die by euthanasia, as mentioned at the beginning of this article.
The act was based on court precedent and was monitored by government officials and experts, so of course no criminal charges were filed, making this the first case of euthanasia in Italy .
However, progress has yet to be made towards institutionalizing it at the national level . The current administration takes a far-right stance and is clearly anti-euthanasia, anti-abortion, and anti-same-sex marriage, so there is very little enthusiasm for legislation.
As a result, there have been a number of cases in which local health authorities (ASLs) have " left " the increasing number of applications in various regions to avoid making approval decisions, and although at least 10 people are currently applying as of 2024, many of them are not even being reviewed.
In late July 2024, the Constitutional Court officially identified "four cases in which euthanasia may be permitted" and published a recommendation to the government to quickly enact legislation .
However, the government's response was more of a "postponement, delay, and ignorance," and actual progress was stagnant (as in Japan, the government simply stuck to shelving and prolonging the issue).
This stagnant mood was broken when, on February 11, 2025, Tuscany became the first region in Italy to legalize euthanasia .
The region, which includes the capital Florence, has a history of being a pioneer in cultural and healthcare policies, and this law was approved by the Regional Council based on a proposal initiated and presented by the Luca Coscioni Association .
The Tuscan authorities have stated that they are "breaking the taboo and setting an example for other regions," and have clearly stated that they will protect the right of citizens to seek euthanasia.
According to the provisions of the new law, a " euthanasia review committee " composed of medical experts from various professions will be established within 15 days of the law coming into effect (February 11th), and verification of the requirements will begin promptly.
The law was actually enacted, and the first case of euthanasia occurred on May 17th .
In contrast to countries and other regions where administration and healthcare have been halting, Tuscany has been notable for taking a swift and clear stance.
Furthermore, at the end of 2024, euthanasia was approved for a woman suffering from multiple sclerosis (a well-known writer in Italy), further raising expectations in the local community for the establishment of a system.
The dynamics surrounding euthanasia in Italy are complex and dramatic , with stagnation at the national level paralleled by the rise of more progressive regions such as Tuscany.
Whether other regions will follow Tuscany's lead or not will be a turning point towards the systematization of the system throughout Italy. We will keep you updated as soon as there are any developments.