The Associazione Luca Coscioni has formally called on Ignazio La Russa, President of the Italy Senate, to schedule a parliamentary floor debate on a citizen-backed bill to legalize medically assisted death—a proposal that has collected over 74,000 signatures and languished in the legislative queue since its deposit in July 2025.
In a letter sent on May 26, 2026, the Coscioni advocacy group—represented by legal director Filomena Gallo and treasurer Marco Cappato—invoked Article 74, paragraph 3 of the Senate's procedural rules, which mandates priority for popular initiative bills once they meet signature thresholds. The activists have also requested an institutional meeting with La Russa to discuss the draft law, which they describe as consistent with Italy's constitutional framework and the repeated calls of the Corte Costituzionale for parliamentary action on end-of-life rights.
Why This Matters
• Timeline pressure: The bill has been stalled for nearly a year, despite the Senate indicating in January it would resume work on end-of-life legislation.
• Public mandate: The 74,000-signature petition—over 51,000 collected digitally via SPID and CIE—exceeds the 50,000-signature threshold required for popular initiative laws under Italian constitutional rules.
• Procedural friction: A scheduled June 3 parliamentary session was postponed, with the amendment deadline reopened until June 9, fueling accusations of deliberate delay by opposition lawmakers.
• Regional workarounds: In the absence of national legislation, Coscioni has launched regional campaigns in Lombardy, Piedmont, Lazio, and Calabria to implement local procedures compliant with Constitutional Court rulings.
What the Bill Would Legalize
The proposed law, titled "Eutanasia Legale," comprises 8 articles and aims to regulate voluntary medically assisted death for adults with decision-making capacity who suffer from irreversible conditions or terminal diagnoses causing unbearable physical or psychological pain.
Key provisions include:
• Two modalities: Patients may choose self-administration of lethal medication or physician-administered euthanasia, depending on their clinical situation and personal preference.
• 30-day procedure cap: From initial request to final authorization, the entire process—including medical verifications, ethics committee review, and drug identification—must conclude within one month.
• No cost, no punishment: The procedure would be free of charge within the public Servizio Sanitario Nazionale (SSN), and healthcare workers participating in good faith would be shielded from criminal liability.
• Advanced directives integration: Patients may include end-of-life medication requests in their Disposizioni Anticipate di Trattamento (DAT) under Law 219/2017.
• Annual parliamentary report: The Ministry of Health would be required to submit an annual implementation report to lawmakers.
The bill's supporters argue it addresses a legal vacuum left by two landmark Constitutional Court decisions—in 2019 and 2024—that decriminalized assisted suicide under specific conditions but stopped short of creating a statutory framework.
Political Battlefield: Majority vs. Opposition
Italy's Parliament has debated end-of-life legislation for years without resolution, and the ideological chasm remains wide.
Center-right coalition stance: Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (Fratelli d'Italia) stated in January that the state's role is not to "facilitate suicide pathways" but to expand palliative care and family support. Her party, along with the Lega, opposes broad legalization. Lega leader Matteo Salvini has declared he would vote against any assisted death law, asserting that "life must be protected from cradle to end."
Forza Italia, the coalition's centrist wing, occupies a nuanced position. While acknowledging a "legislative void," the party supports the Zanettin-Zullo bill, which modifies Article 580 of the penal code to specify cases where assisted suicide is not punishable—but crucially excludes the SSN from the procedure, deeming it incompatible with the public health service's mission. Critics note the bill's language—referring to "trattamenti sostitutivi di funzioni vitali" (treatments substituting vital functions)—is narrower than the Constitutional Court's term "sostegno vitale" (vital support), potentially restricting eligibility.
Opposition camp: The Partito Democratico (PD), Movimento 5 Stelle (M5S), Alleanza Verdi-Sinistra, and Più Europa back the Bazoli bill, tabled by Senator Alfredo Bazoli in October 2022. This counter-proposal mandates full SSN involvement and oversight, aligning more closely with Constitutional Court terminology and ensuring equal access regardless of socioeconomic status. M5S has also introduced a more expansive text in the Chamber of Deputies that would cover patients unable to self-administer medication and extend eligibility beyond life-support dependence.
Opposition lawmakers accuse the majority of procedural gamesmanship—reopening amendment deadlines, scheduling redundant hearings—to run out the legislative clock. A 2026 Eurispes poll found 70% of Italians favor euthanasia, underscoring the disconnect between public opinion and parliamentary progress.
La Russa's Middle Path
Senate President La Russa, who traditionally represents institutional neutrality, has signaled cautious openness. He expressed hope that a law could pass before the legislature ends, stating it is important to guarantee choice for those in "terminal and hopeless conditions" while establishing safeguards against abuse. La Russa noted that Meloni, following a center-right leadership summit, acknowledged the need for a "just law" as demanded by the Constitutional Court. He also confirmed a debate date has been set—though he did not commit to a timeline for a final vote.
What This Means for Residents
If the Coscioni bill advances, it would mark a watershed in Italian law, granting residents facing terminal illness or unbearable suffering the legal right to request medically assisted death. Practically, this means:
• Access through the SSN: Patients would not need to travel abroad or seek underground networks; procedures would be conducted within public hospitals and supervised by ethics committees.
• No financial barrier: The procedure would be free, eliminating the socioeconomic gatekeeping that characterizes systems where only those who can afford private clinics or international travel can access end-of-life autonomy.
• Legal clarity for physicians: Doctors willing to participate would have clear legal cover, reducing the risk of criminal prosecution that has chilled medical cooperation since the Constitutional Court rulings.
• Regional patchwork risk: In the absence of a national law, regional initiatives like "Liberi Subito" (Free Immediately) could lead to uneven application across Italy, with some regions offering robust procedures and others none at all.
For now, the timeline is uncertain. The June 9 amendment deadline represents the next procedural milestone, but whether La Russa schedules a substantive floor vote depends on intra-coalition negotiations and his interpretation of the Senate's obligation to popular petitions. Residents seeking end-of-life autonomy remain caught between a supportive Constitutional Court, a divided Parliament, and a public that polls suggest is ready for change.
