CSdL has expressed satisfaction over the passage of the living will law, approved on Friday, 6 November by the Grand and General Council (Consiglio Grande e Generale) by a wide majority, with five abstentions. The Confederation is now calling for the deadline to be respected for making available the form through which citizens will be able to state their wishes.
“CSdL first of all thanks the Emma Rossi Association, the promoter of a citizens’ initiative bill that several Confederation officials signed, and Movimento RETE, which withdrew its own bill in order to focus attention on a single text and help improve it further,” reads the statement issued on 8 November.
The thanks extend to the political forces that voted in favour of the measure: “Our thanks also go to all the political forces that supported this measure, in some cases setting aside positions that conflicted with the philosophy of the law. We now expect the form through which people will be able to express their wishes to be adopted within the 60 days provided for.”
The Confederation points to the principle of self-determination underpinning the text. “The law regulates the possibility, for those who wish, to personally decide whether and to which medical treatments to be subjected in the case of illnesses with a fatal prognosis; a demand for self-determination and freedom that often also arises from the anguish of those who care for people for whom there is no longer hope of survival.”
Another point concerns organ donation and the steps required to implement the provisions. “Furthermore, organ donation is regulated in detail: an implementing decree and the accreditation of ISS healthcare facilities will be needed to complete the legislative process, but the path has been laid out.”
“For CSdL, this law therefore represents a further achievement in the field of civil rights and marks another milestone reached.” The issue had already featured in the founding document of the 21st CSdL Congress, which called for a law capable of guaranteeing citizens’ right to freedom of choice.
The Confederation also recalls the public debate organised on 27 April to explore the issue further. Taking part in the meeting were Marco Gatti, at the time acting Secretary of State for Health, Denise Bronzetti, chair of Council Commission IV, Patricia Busignani, representing the Emma Rossi Association, Emanuele Santi, secretary of RETE, and Enzo Merlini, CSdL’s secretary general.
