A 49-year-old Italian man who has
been in a wheelchair with muscular dystrophy for 34 years on
Thursday night got the OK for assisted suicide from his local
health agency in Vicenza.
"Good morning friends near and far, today I'm very happy and it
is a great day, the health director of the Aulss 7 Pedemontana
was here, to whom I applied for assisted suicide on June 30, and
I can inform you that my request has been accepted, and now I'm
free to decide when I want to pout an end to my suffering," said
the man, Stefano Gheller, on Facebook.
Gheller, from Cassola near Vicenza, is attached to a respirator
24 hours a day.
He said he was happy that his right to assisted suicide had been
recognised under a recent Constitutional Court ruling, even
though there is still not Italian law in place in favour of
assisted suicide.
"I hope it will also help any other people who make the me
request." he added.
Gheller said he could have gone to a euthanasia clinic in
Switzerland, where several other Italians have been helped
commit assisted suicide by the right-to-die Luca Coscioni
Association, but "i preferred to stay in Italy and fight my
battle here".
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