Spanish Lawmakers Pass Bill Allowing Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide - The New York Times - 0 views
-
The draft law goes to the Senate, where it is likely to pass. The country would join a handful of others allowing terminally ill patients to obtain aid to end their lives.
-
On Thursday, 198 lawmakers of the lower house of Parliament voted in favor of the euthanasia law, while 138 voted against and two abstained. The Senate will next consider the law, and it seems likely to pass there too
-
The law is designed to allow the patient to decide between euthanasia, performed by a health care professional, or assisted suicide, which could take place at home by taking a fatal dose of prescribed medication.
- ...3 more annotations...
-
Aid in dying remains hotly debated in several countries and has been at the heart of several major court cases. Earlier this year, a German court overturned a ban on assisted suicide. In Portugal, lawmakers took a first step in February toward allowing euthanasia, but the legislative change could still be vetoed by the country’s president.
-
Spain is a traditionally Catholic country and the Church has strongly opposed the idea of decriminalizing euthanasia or assisted suicide.
-
Mr. Sánchez was voted into office in January at the helm of Spain’s first coalition government, and the euthanasia law was the first one presented by his left-wing administration as part of its bid to promote a more liberal agenda. Under a previous Socialist government, Spain also became in 2005 one of the first countries to legalize same-sex marriage.