Spain's Parliament Votes In Favour Of Legalising Euthanasia And Assisted Suicide
Spain News
Published: 19 March 2021 14:43 CET
Spain became the 7th country to legalise euthanasia and assisted suicide on Thursday after its parliament voted in favour of a new bill.
The law which was promoted last year by Prime Minister Sánchez’ PSOE party, will come into force in June after it was given the green light by the lower house with a majority of 202 to 141 votes against.
Centre-right Partido Popular (PP), far-right Vox and the Navarrese People’s Union (UPN) voted against the bill, while two abstained.
These parties maintain that palliative care should be the only legal option in such cases; a view which is also supported by others who oppose the bill including Spain’s large Catholic community.
Vox announced that it would repeal the law in the Constitutional Courts if it were to come to power.
Just minutes after the announcement, Prime Minister Sánchez tweeted: "Today we have become a country that is more humane, fairer and freer. The euthanasia law, widely demanded by society, has finally become a reality."
It means that Spain will join the likes of the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Colombia, Canada and New Zealand, recognising the right of a person to decide to end their own life in cases where there is unbearable suffering, with no hope of healing or improvement.
From June, any adult who is suffering from a serious and incurable illness or serious chronic and incapacitating condition which causes “intolerable physical or psychological suffering” without the possibility of cure or improvement, will be able to request medical assistance to die, which will be offered by the Spanish National Health System.
In order to exercise their right to die, a patient must confirm their wish on at least four occasions which could take around a month since their first request. Any request can be withdrawn or postponed at any time during the process.
A patient must have been supplied with information about their medical condition and the alternatives that are available to them.
Recent polls suggest that 80% of Spain’s citizens supported the decriminalisation of euthanasia.
Source
https://www.euractiv.com/section/health-consumers/news/spain-becomes-seventh-country-to-legalise-euthanasia/
https://english.elpais.com/society/2021-03-18/spain-approves-euthanasia-law-becoming-the-fifth-country-in-the-world-to-regulate-the-practice.html
Image Credit: La Moncloa
