ITALY: Terminally ill man requests to die with dignity sparking debate on euthanasia

A terminally ill man has sparked a debate in predominantly Roman Catholic Italy over whether the country should consider legalising euthanasia. Piergiorgio Welby, who suffers from advanced muscular dystrophy, has been appearing on news programmes while confined to a bed, attached to tubes and speaking via a computer that interprets his eye movements. His request to be allowed to die with dignity has moved the nation. In a letter to Welby, Italy's President Giorgio Napolitano called for "unhurried reflection" on his request to be able to die and said he was "moved as a person and as a president". Euthanasia is illegal in Italy and doctors who perform it can face prison terms of up to 15 years. "In Italy euthanasia is a crime but this does not mean that it doesn't exist' Welby said via computer. "There are requests for euthanasia that are not carried out because doctors are afraid of being prosecuted," he said. The Roman Catholic Church forbids euthanasia, teaching that life begins at the moment of conception and ends at the moment of natural death. Many Italians seem to support the right to euthanasia and that the church should allow people of sane mind to make that choice. "I support euthanasia, but I'm aware that in a country like Italy, with a Catholic majority, it is quite difficult to accept these kind of changes," said Rome resident Ferdinando Pastrello. "Maybe we need a law which may regulate the procedures, but this choice has to be left to the freedom of each of us. The Vatican has its own job to do, but there is not only the Vatican in this world," said Luigi de Pascalis. "If someone is in his full mental state, why not give them the freedom to choose? It is not a crime because once someone decides to die it is not a crime. The Vatican represents a religion and religion should be put aside, at least a bit," said Mario Spini. In 2001, the Netherlands became the first country to legalize both patient-assisted suicide and physician unassisted euthanasia by lethal injection with the patient's consent. Groups backing assisted suicide exist in countries across the world including India, Zimbabwe, Japan, Israel, Australia and Colombia, according to the World Federation of Right to Die Societies.

ITN Source | September 27, 2006

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