Euthanasia, Spain's Parliament gives its first approval
Rights — di Luca Cereda
The Spanish lower house has passed the euthanasia bill. The Senate's approval is now awaited.
Euthanasia, Spain's Parliament gives its first approval
The Spanish lower house has passed the euthanasia bill. The Senate's approval is now awaited.
In Spain, Thursday 17 December marked the first step towards legalising assisted suicide and euthanasia for patients suffering from incurable illnesses or permanent conditions deemed unbearable. That step was taken by the lower house, which passed the euthanasia bill; the text received the backing of left-wing parties (which support the socialist government of Pedro Sánchez), while the Partido Popular and the far-right Vox voted against it. The bill will now go to the Senate where, given the numbers available to the majority, it is expected to pass.
La aprobación en el @Congreso_Es de la Ley de #Eutanasia supone una gran conquista social para nuestro país. Avanzamos en libertad, en derechos civiles y en dignidad. Gracias a los grupos que han apoyado esta norma y a las personas y colectivos que han trabajado para conseguirlo.
The first step of the euthanasia bill in Spain
The bill, tabled in February by the government, was passed with 198 MPs voting in favour, while 138 voted against and two abstained. As the vote was taking place, several dozen people wearing the Salvador Dalí mask donned by the protagonists of the well-known TV series La Casa di carta protested outside Parliament. Groups of supporters of the bill, meanwhile, celebrated in the streets of Madrid. "As a society, we cannot remain unmoved in the face of the intolerable suffering endured by many people," Health Minister Salvador Illa told MPs after the vote.
What the text provides for
The law will allow doctors, both in public healthcare and in private facilities, to assist patients who wish to die on the grounds of "a serious and incurable illness" or a "debilitating and chronic condition" that the person concerned considers "unbearable". The patient must confirm the wish to die four times within a month: twice in writing, two weeks apart, a third time after a consultation with a doctor, and a fourth time immediately before receiving the lethal drug, which will be administered by a doctor assisted by an external supervisor. Requests will have to be approved by a regional supervisory board and may only be submitted by adults resident in Spain who are of sound mind. Doctors will be permitted conscientious objection.
Hoy es un día importante para todos ellos.
Los que sufren y sufrieron.
Para sus familias, que padecieron con impotencia ese dolor.
Avanzamos en derechos.
Derechos que nos hacen libres ✊
Hoy es un día importante para hablar de 𝗟𝗜𝗕𝗘𝗥𝗧𝗔𝗗.
#VidaDignaMuerteDigna
Los que sufren y sufrieron.
Para sus familias, que padecieron con impotencia ese dolor.
Avanzamos en derechos.
Derechos que nos hacen libres ✊
Hoy es un día importante para hablar de 𝗟𝗜𝗕𝗘𝗥𝗧𝗔𝗗.
#VidaDignaMuerteDigna
Spain and the – short – list of countries where euthanasia is legal
The euthanasia and assisted suicide bill now awaits the Senate's vote: if the approval is confirmed, Spain will join the handful of other countries in which terminally ill patients can legally obtain help to end their lives.
Spain is thus following in the footsteps of Portugal, whose Parliament passed a similar law last February, though it has not yet entered into force and could still be blocked by the President. Euthanasia is so far legal only in Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland. In some states of the USA, assisted suicide is permitted: this means that a patient who wishes to die may self-administer the lethal drug under medical supervision. A year ago, Western Australia became the second Australian state to pass an assisted dying law.
Assistance in dying is the subject of heated debate in several countries and lies at the heart of many controversial legal cases. Meanwhile, a few weeks ago, New Zealanders voted in a referendum in favour of legalising euthanasia; the measure will come into force in a year's time.
The euthanasia bill, the first chapter of Spain's liberal agenda
How have Spaniards received this first approval of the bill? Recent opinion polls have shown that most Spaniards support the right to choose such a death.
Premier Pedro Sánchez took office in January leading a centre-left coalition government, and the euthanasia bill was the first proposal put forward by his administration as part of an attempt to promote a liberal agenda. It was indeed under the last socialist government, in 2005, that Spain became one of the first countries in the world to legalise same-sex marriage.