The Senate failed to begin
examination of proposed new assisted suicide legislation as
scheduled on Tuesday due to a no-show from the government.
Members of the Justice and Social Affairs committees received
notification that the meeting set up to illustrate the proposals
had been cancelled after a government representative failed to
turn up.
"We are disappointed," said Alfredo Bazoli, centre-left
opposition Democratic Party (PD) caucus leader in the Justice
Committee and a proponent of one of the bills.
"It is clear there is a political problem, given that (the
presence of) any undersecretary is sufficient to frame a
proposal," he added.
Earlier this month Bazoli announced that "at last parliament
will return to debating a piece of legislation that is necessary
and can no longer be postponed, guaranteeing uniformity of
treatment and conditions in line with the indications of the
Constitutional Court".
The reference is to the Constitutional Court's 2019 so-called
'Cappato ruling', named after right-to-die campaigner Marco
Cappato, making assisted suicide permissible in Italy in some
circumstances.
Since then some regions such as Veneto have introduced regional
legislation regulating the provision of assisted suicide for
citizens living on their territories amid ongoing controversy
and debate over the issue in the absence of a national framework
law.
"I hope for a serious and constructive confrontation that can
lead to a noble and shared summary document on a subject that
needs an inclusive, sensitive and dialoguing approach,"
concluded Bazoli.
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