End-of-life law sparks fierce debate in Veneto council

The prospect of a regional law on end-of-life choices has ignited a fierce debate in Veneto, Italy, drawing sharp criticism from Patriarch Francesco Moraglia. He declared the proposed legislation "unacceptable," expressing concerns that it could lead to an expansion of euthanasia.

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Unacceptable

Regional councilor Elena Ostanel, a proponent of the "Liberi Subito" popular initiative law set for discussion on September 7, countered Moraglia's stance. She emphasized that the law aims to provide options for patients like Stefano Gheller, who, despite being religious, found palliative care insufficient and faced the risk of unbearable suffering and death. Ostanel stressed that the proposed text seeks a balance, prioritizing patient dignity and the doctor-patient relationship without opposing palliative care.

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Precisely because all patients are assisted - and Stefano Gheller explained it well to us as a believer - it is necessary to leave an option of choice to those like him who find themselves in conditions where palliative care would not have been sufficient, risking dying suffocated and with unbearable suffering.

Moraglia's apprehension echoes a broader fear that such laws, once enacted, may gradually expand their scope. Ostanel, however, argued that legislation must address these fears by establishing clear rules, controls, and rigorous conditions. She also criticized a potential "mediation" proposal from the majority party, allegedly shared with bishops, deeming it "serious" if public policy decisions were to be influenced by religious doctrine on such a sensitive matter.

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The law we want to arrive at does not oppose palliative care and end-of-life, it is balanced and puts the dignity of the patient and the doctor-patient relationship at the center.

Claudio Borgia, group leader for Brothers of Italy (FdI), acknowledged Moraglia's words as worthy of "listening and respect," calling for a deep human, ethical, and social consideration of the issue. FdI, he stated, will approach the debate without prejudice, focusing on strengthening palliative care and hospice services while rejecting both therapeutic obstinacy and abandonment. Giovanni Manildo, group leader for the Democratic Party (PD), reaffirmed the state's secularism and appreciated the call for a "high" debate. He argued that a regional law is necessary to standardize a right already recognized by the Constitutional Court, thereby preventing the "slippery slope" feared by the patriarch.

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It would be serious to discover that, on such an intimate and delicate matter, a Region could adopt a doctrine as a source of public decisions.