The government is blocking the start of the parliamentary process of the law on assisted suicide, unsuccessfully requested by the Constitutional Court since October 2018, a request renewed a few days ago by the current President of the Court, Augusto Barbera.
In the Senate Commission, in fact, the absence of the government prevented the simple implementation of the bill with the first signature of Alfredo Bazoli (Pd), provoking a harsh reaction from the opposition.
Another bill on the end of life, filed by Fi, has increased the conflict, which provides for more restrictive criteria than those introduced by the Constitutional Court in 2019 and which also intervenes on the 2017 law on living wills. Ten minutes before the meeting of the Commissions Justice and Social Affairs of the Senate, where the bill was supposed to be based, the senators received a text message announcing the cancellation of the session due to the absence of the government.
An unmotivated step that aroused criticism from the Pd and Avs.
The Dems spoke of "obstructionism of the majority" while Peppe De Cristofaro, group leader of Avs, accused the government of wanting to "scuttle the law".
The bill that should have been hinged is by Dem senator Alfredo Bazoli, who re-presented the text approved by the Chamber in the last legislature;
a text that makes the 2019 ruling of the Council applicable. This had indicated four criteria to allow assisted suicide.
The Bazoli bill was included in the opposition calendar.
A further divisive element was represented by the filing of another bill, this time by Fi, which does not follow the indications of the Constitutional Court.
In fact, the text provides for attenuated penalties for aiding suicide and not punishability, and moreover on more restrictive criteria than those specified by the Consulta.
The Democratic Party immediately spoke of "a coup".
"Ethical issues - replied Andriano Paroli, vice president of FI and first signatory of the bill - are not a monopoly of the Democratic Party. It is not only right but also necessary that on such important issues the parliamentary debate takes into account all positions and sensitivities present in society".
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