The defence of life in all itsexpressions is an issue for Catholics said Vatican Secretary ofState Cardinal Pietro Parolin after the regional council in hisnative Veneto rejected a bill regulating medically assistedsuicide for terminally ill patients despite it having thebacking of centre-right governor Luca Zaia.
The defence of life is an issue of ours," said Parolin.
"Life must be defended in all its stages, dimensions, andexpressions: from its natural beginning to its natural end," headded.
On Tuesday Veneto regional council rejected a bill presented bythe right-to-die Coscioni association after two of the fivearticles failed to receive the necessary absolute majority inorder to pass.
The legislative proposal, which sought to regulate the directinvolvement of the national health service in assisted suicideon the basis of a 2019 ruling by the Constitutional Court,divided the centre-right majority in the region, with PremierGiorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy (FdI) and Forza Italia votingagainst and part of the League including Governor Zaia infavour, along with the opposition.
"I am sorry that some misinterpreted the proposal discussed inVeneto as 'instituting the end of life'," said Zaia after thevote. "It did not institute anything, but rather only established themeans and timeframe of response to the sick, and the way inwhich the local health authorities were to be involved," headded.
However, Zaia said even though the law didn't pass "terminallyill patients with certain characteristics know that they canstill present their requests for (medically assisted suicide),based on the ruling of the Constitutional Court", named afterright-to-die campaigner Marco Cappato making assisted suicidepermissible in some circumstances.
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