Assisted suicide, Marco Cappato reports himself for having accompanied a man to Switzerland

Marco Cappatotreasurer of theLuca Coscioni Associationhe reports himself again at the Carabinieri station in via Fosse Ardeatine in Milan. He accompanied a man, Mr. Romano, 82, of Tuscan origins and residing in Peschiera Borromeo, Switzerland. He had been suffering from Parkinson’s since 2020 and was not kept alive by life support treatments, therefore excluded from the possibility of accessing assisted suicide in Italy since he lacked one of the requirements of the Cappato della Consulta sentence, the one that came from the case of Dj Fabo.

His daughter Francesca gave the news of the death in a video message from Switzerland.

“My dad just confirmed his choice to die. I came from California to be here with him these days. In California, the choice my dad made is legal, and in the event of an illness like his, he could have chosen to die at home, surrounded by his loved ones and family. We had to make this trip to come to Switzerland for him to make this choice and I hope that in Italy, soon, it will be possible for people to be able to make this choice at home and die at home, surrounded by their loved ones».

A former journalist and advertiser, he was bedridden by illness, amidst severe muscle pain, in one irreversible condition cwhich prevented him from reading, writing and doing anything on his own. After having matured the choice of wanting to put an end to his suffering and realizing the impossibility of proceeding in Italy, he asked Marco Cappato for help to reach Switzerland and avoid legal consequences for his family members.

«I consider it unworthy of a civilized country to continue to tolerate the exile of death in clandestinity of people who suffer unbearable and irreversible suffering» declared Marco Cappato. «It has been 4 years since the Constitutional Court for the first time asked Parliament to intervene “in a spirit of loyal and dialectical institutional collaboration” allowing it any “opportune reflection and initiative”. The Court intervening subsequently in 2019, faced with the inertia of Parliament, issued a decision that decriminalizes assisted suicide only for sick people under certain conditions verified by the NHS, at the same time reiterating the request for a complete law that respects the choices of end of life of sick people. In August I had resumed the civil disobedience action, accepting the request for Elena Altamira to be accompanied to Switzerland, to overcome the discrimination against patients who, like Elena and Romano, are not dependent on health treatments. I have now decided to also accept Romano’s request for help and to avoid a senseless and violent fury from him”.

Mr. Romano’s case does not fall within those envisaged by the sentence 242/2019 of the Constitutional Court on the Cappato\Dj Fabo case for access to assisted suicide in Italy: it is possible and legal when the sick person who requests it is affected by a irreversible pathology, source of intolerable physical or psychological suffering, fully capable of making free and informed decisions and kept alive by life-sustaining treatments and these conditions have been verified by the National Health Service.

Thanks to these requirements Federico Carboni that last June was instead able to access assisted suicide without the help provided constituting a crime. Instead what Marco Cappato did with his civil disobedience last August and now is a crime. The goal is to overcome the current discrimination between sick people and allow full respect for the will of people with irreversible pathologies, a source of suffering, who are fully capable but not yet kept alive by life-sustaining treatments.

– Fabio Ridolfi’s appeal: «Dear Italian State, help me to die»

– Fabio Ridolfi: «Since the State doesn’t help me to die, I choose deep sedation»