First modification:
The Portuguese Parliament voted this Friday, May 12, the final version of the law that decriminalizes euthanasia. Despite his veto, the president confirmed that he will promulgate it in the coming days, as the Constitution provides. Portugal will be among the few European countries that allow this practice.
After a long legislative process, the Portuguese Parliament once again voted in favor of the law that provides for the decriminalization of euthanasia in the country. Parliament approved it by 129 votes in favour, 81 against and one abstention.
The law was approved in part thanks to the Socialists who have an absolute majority in Parliament.
“We confirm a law that has been approved several times with a very large majority,” said Socialist deputy Isabel Moreira.
Total, the process has taken six years and it has gone through two political vetoes by the president and two vetoes by the Constitutional Court.
This time, the conservative president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, confirmed that he will promulgate the law, since the country’s Constitution “obliges the president” to do so after being “confirmed by the Assembly.”
“The president has eight days to promulgate the law. The promulgation is mandatory and I am going to promulgate it within eight days,” Rebelo de Sousa told reporters.
The text approved this Friday defines medically assisted death as the one that “occurs by their own decision”, applicable in adults who demonstrate “great intensity suffering, with definitive injury of extreme gravity or serious and incurable illness” and when it is ” practiced or assisted by a health professional”.
It also states that euthanasia is only permitted in cases where “physician-assisted suicide is impossible due to the physical incapacity of the patient.”
The debate does not stop
Several political parties remain against decriminalization, including the Communist Party of Portugal, the conservative Social Democratic Party and the far-right Chega. They have threatened to resort to the Constitutional Court, but they will not be able to paralyze the application of the norm.
In addition, opponents of the decriminalization of euthanasia regret that the issue has not been the subject of a referendum.
“It is a whim of the deputies who did not want to listen to anyone,” argued José Seabra Duque, a member of the Portuguese Federation for Life.
For his part, Defenders say that despite being a great step, it is not the definitive one in a country with a strong Catholic tradition.
“The adoption of this law was relatively fast compared to other major countries,” Paulo Santos, a member of the “right to die with dignity” movement told AFP. And he added: “Hopefully, euthanasia will provoke even more resistance.”
In general, in the country the law receives the support of the majority of the population. According to a recent survey, 61% of the Portuguese would be in favor of decriminalizing euthanasia. In Europe, this practice is currently only allowed in the Benelux and Spain. In Portugal, it will be limited to Portuguese citizens or those residing in the country and it is estimated that it could enter into force in the autumn.
With AFP and EFE
