Bologna, July 23, 2026 – The law on medically assisted suicide has been approved in Emilia-Romagna. It is the third region in Italy, after Tuscany and Sardinia, to adopt a law that defines times and procedures for medical assistance in voluntary death.
The bill by Avs, Pd, Civici and Movimento 5 Stelle, first signed by Paolo Trande (Avs), passed in the Assembly with the favorable votes of Pd, Avs, Civici and Movimento 5 Stelle and the opposing votes of FdI, Forza Italia, Rete civica and Lega.
The objective of the norm is to regulate access to medically assisted suicide for patients with irreversible diseases and intolerable suffering, ensuring equitable access and timelines compatible with the physical conditions of the applicants.
The Assembly’s vote came after a long discussion among political forces in which the positions already expressed during the committee debate were confirmed: for the center-left, it is a law that incorporates what was stated by the Constitutional Court and, without creating opposition to palliative care, provides answers to real issues. The center-right’s opposition was clear, speaking of the Emilia-Romagna Region’s rush forward and demanding that palliative care be strengthened.
Read more 1-year-old child run over by a car driven by a family member in the home’s courtyard: is serious
The bill was illustrated by the majority rapporteur Alice Parma (Pd) and the minority rapporteur Nicola Marcello (FdI) and the first signatory Paolo Trande (Avs). Parma emphasized how the Region’s proposal addresses real problems and how it is not right to oppose palliative care to medically assisted suicide, while Marcello stated that the center-left had rushed ahead and that before medically assisted suicide, palliative care should be strengthened. Trande reiterated that the law, far from providing forms of euthanasia, provides answers to a real need.
This is demonstrated by the fact that even center-right-led Regions like Piedmont and Lombardy have had to adopt administrative acts on the topic of medically assisted suicide and, from an ethical standpoint, he emphasized the importance of the right to self-determination and recalled that all religious and cultural sensitivities should be listened to, except those that want to impose their point of view on others.
Read more Cloudbursts arriving this weekend, weather alert: the areas at risk in Emilia Romagna
