This archive report was first published on 20 September 2019.
Published on September 20, 2019, the Italian Constitutional Court has scheduled a session for Tuesday to reevaluate the possibility of legalizing assisted suicide, without mentioning euthanasia.
The court's decision comes after a year-long deadline given to parliament to address the legal void surrounding the issue, which has yet to be filled.
Italy's new government, sworn in last week following a month of political turmoil, has not prioritized debating assisted suicide.
According to the court, the current legal framework concerning end-of-life situations deprives specific cases of adequate protection.
The court's ruling is in response to a case involving Fabiano Antoniani, a 40-year-old music producer who was left tetraplegic and blind after a 2014 traffic accident.
Marco Cappato, a member of Italy's Radical Party, drove Antoniani to Switzerland in February 2017, where he was assisted in ending his life.
Cappato then turned himself in to Italian authorities, citing his 'act of civil disobedience' to highlight what he saw as an unjust law.
He pointed out that assisted suicide was only accessible to those with the means to travel to Switzerland, where it is legal.
Antoniani had written to Italian President Sergio Mattarella before his death, stating, 'I feel like I'm in a cage. I would like to choose to die without suffering.'
A Milan court is currently trying Cappato on charges of 'instigating or assisting suicide,' while the Constitutional Court seeks clarification on the current law.
