The Portuguese parliament yesterday approved a controversial bill that decriminalizes euthanasia.
In the fifth attempt to have the text approved by the Assembleia da República in Lisbon, the members of the Portuguese national delegation voted for it with a clear majority, 129 votes in favor to 81 against.
The first four attempts were unsuccessful, either because of the veto exercised by President Marcelo Hebelo de Souza or objections from the Constitutional Court.
Under the Constitution, the head of state must approve the bill for it to come into force within eight days after it is delivered to the presidency.
The text has been amended several times.
Euthanasia is a criminal offence. in most EU member countries — carries heavy prison sentences. In 2021, Spain became just the fourth country to decriminalize it, following the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.
Prime Minister Antonio Costa's center-left government tabled the original bill in Portugal's parliament three years ago. At the time, most MPs from the main opposition, the centre-right PSD, and many parliamentarians from the far-right populist party Chega opposed decriminalization, despite the strict conditions that were laid down.
Mr Costa's Socialist Party (PS) has repeatedly emphasized that the bill aims to offer "freedom and dignity" to people who are suffering, in extreme pain due to illness, and want to give up life.
The opposition had demanded a referendum in the country, where most citizens are devout Catholics.
Mr Hebelou de Souza, who says he is deeply religious, has repeatedly spoken out against the draft law, but says he will not impose his view. When he vetoed it, he cited "ambiguities" of the text.
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Source: APE-MPE-dpa
