Overview

• On May 17, writer Daniele Pieroni, 60, suffering from advanced Parkinson’s, became the first person to undergo medically assisted suicide under Tuscany’s February law.
• The regional law, approved in February to regulate end-of-life care, was immediately contested by the Meloni government and awaits a ruling from the Constitutional Court.
• Rome’s center-right coalition has drafted a national end-of-life bill that would establish a national ethics committee to vet assisted suicide requests and is slated for Senate debate on July 17.
• Although the Tuscan law remains in effect pending the Court’s decision, roughly 500 Italians currently await authorization for medically assisted suicide under similar criteria.
• The Catholic Church and opposition parties argue that robust palliative care must be guaranteed nationwide as an alternative pathway.