End of life, the Lazio Region denies access to assisted suicide to a terminally ill patient

Laura (the name is fictitious), Roman, is a terminally ill patient with an oncological pathology. Last July you began the process of accessing assisted suicide. But, in recent days, denial has arrived. If the situation doesn’t change soon, Laura will deprived of her right to choose the end of her life and will be forced to face aagony against one’s will.

This was announced by the Luca Coscioni association, which assisted Laura in the request. The woman she had turned to her healthcare company to ask for her conditions to be verified provided for by the constitutional ruling Cappato\Dj Fabo 242/2019 (being fully capable of making free and informed decisions, suffering from an irreversible pathology source of intolerable suffering and kept alive by life support treatments) to access assisted suicide in Italy, alongside to his loved ones.

But, in mid-September, the health company informed Laura that the medical team had found that, despite having an irreversible disease that was the source of suffering that had become intolerable and despite being fully capable of self-determination, the patient would not be subjected to life-sustaining treatments. And, therefore, it would not satisfy the conditions established by the Constitutional Court. Laura, however, is totally dependent on oxygen.

«This denial has been sent without the opinion of the competent ethics committee and the multidisciplinary report drawn up by the doctors who subjected our client to a check on her condition”, replied Filomena Gallo, national secretary of the Coscioni association. «The health company excludes the presence of life support treatment, although it is clear from the medical documentation that the lady is subjected to morphine-derived pain therapy and oxygen support therapy, to which she is currently subjected continuously ». The association therefore opposed the denial“but to date, despite the rapid worsening of the lady’s condition, no response has been received from the Roman healthcare company.”

So far, in Italy, five citizens have been given the green light to access assisted suicide. The latest is «Anna», suffering from multiple sclerosis, the first patient from Friuli. Before her, Federico Carboni (in the Marche) and Mrs. Gloria (in Veneto), who later confirmed their will by resorting to her technique. While Stefano Gheller (in Veneto) and «Antonio» (also in the Marche) after the green light from the Ethics Committee are now free to choose the most appropriate moment to confirm their wishes or possibly wait or modify their initial intentions.