Tuscany has become the first region to approve assisted dying in Italy.
The regional council approved the legislation with 27 in favour, 13 against and one abstention.
The regional law sets out the procedure required for individuals wanting to access assisted dying. The request is sent to the head of the local health authority. A medical and ethical commission is set up, which has a month in which to decide whether the requirements are met. If the commission approves the request, a decision must be made regarding the doctor overseeing the assisted death and the appropriate medication to be used. The procedure must take place within a week of the previous two steps. In short, 37 days are needed in total.
Assisted dying in Tuscany will be free of charge and the regional government has set aside 10,000 euro per year for the next three years.
The bill promoted by the Luca Coscione Association has been presented throughout Italy and in certain cases was blocked before it reached a decision-making level. Now, it remains to be seen how Italy’s central government will react to this regional ruling led primarily by the left and centre left. The right to assisted dying is not up for debate, however, given recent national rulings in 2019 and 2024. According to these judgements, individuals may be eligible to assisted dying when faced with an irreversible disease that is a source of intolerable suffering, as long as they are capable of making informed decisions of their own free will and when patients depend on a life-saving treatment.
