European countries that allow assisted dying
France's National Assembly votes Tuesday on proposed laws concerning palliative care and assisted dying.
Image: Unsplash
France's National Assembly votes Tuesday on proposed laws concerning palliative care and assisted dying.
In Europe, several countries already allow the terminally ill to receive help to end their lives.
Here is a round-up of the situation on the continent:
Pioneers: Netherlands, Belgium
The Netherlands and Belgium were the first European countries to authorise euthanasia, namely death induced by a caregiver at the request of a patient.
In the Netherlands, euthanasia has been strictly regulated since April 2002.
A doctor and an independent expert must determine that the patient is suffering unbearably and without hope of improvement.
This right was extended in 2023 to children under 12.
In 2002 Belgium followed the Netherlands by adopting euthanasia and assisted suicide with similar caveats to the Dutch.
In 2014 it went further by allowing terminally ill children of all ages to also request the procedure, with the consent of their parents.
Luxembourg decriminalised euthanasia and assisted dying in 2009.
Assisted suicide
Switzerland, which prohibits euthanasia, has for decades allowed assisted suicide, making it the go-to destination for patients from around Europe looking for assistance to end their suffering.
The growth of so-called "suicide tourism" has caused much soul-searching in Switzerland but the authorities decided in 2011 against restricting the practice.
Neighbouring Austria, a staunchly Catholic nation, also legalised assisted suicide in 2022 after its constitutional court ruled the country was violating citizens' fundamental rights with the prohibition.
Strict conditions in Spain
Spain adopted a law in 2021 allowing euthanasia and medically assisted suicide for people with a serious and incurable illness.
The conditions are strict: the applicant must be capable and conscious, the request must be made in writing, reconfirmed later, and approved by an evaluation committee.
In Portugal, the decriminalisation of euthanasia adopted in 2023 has not come into force following a decision by the Constitutional Court rejecting certain articles of the law. The new parliament elected in May will have to rule on the issue.
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Regulation in Italy
Tuscany was the first Italian region to adopt regulation paving the way for assisted suicide after a regional parliamentary vote in February.
However, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government challenged the regulation in the Constitutional Court, arguing it came under the central state's jurisdiction rather than the regions'.
In September 2019, the Constitutional Court had outlined the conditions under which a patient could access assisted suicide without the helper facing criminal charges.
The Italian parliament was supposed to legislate on the matter but it has taken no action.
As a result, a pro-euthanasia association pushed for the adoption of regional rules, with Tuscany being the first to act.
Debating law in Britain
UK lawmakers approved in November 2024, in a first vote on the issue, the legalisation of assisted dying for adults with an incurable illness who have a life expectancy of fewer than six months and are able to take the substance that causes their death themselves.
The text, amended in May to allow medics to opt out, will now be voted by lawmakers on whether to send it to the House of Lords upper chamber for further scrutiny or reject it entirely.
If passed, the law, which would apply in England and Wales, is still expected to be several years away.
Simultaneously, the Scottish parliament, with delegated powers over healthcare, passed its first vote on a bill to legalise assisted dying.
AFP
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