The Luca Coscioni Association returns to shine the spotlight on the topic of end-of-life with a national mobilization that, until April 13, will involve the whole of Italy with an information campaign city by city.
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At the heart of the initiative are data emerging from an access to documents submitted in all Italian regions to shed light on requests for assisted suicide received by local health authorities since 2020, the year in which ruling 242/2019 of the Constitutional Court (Cappato-Dj Fabo case) made assisted voluntary death legal, provided that certain conditions were met.
In Campania, the picture that emerges is critical: only one person is currently waiting for the green light to access the procedure. This was reported by ASL Napoli 3 Sud, which covers the Vesuvian area, the southern belt and the Sorrento peninsula.
“The request is currently being examined,” explains the health authority, specifying that the Campania 2 Territorial Ethics Committee has proposed the establishment of a Permanent Multidisciplinary Technical Commission to verify the requirements, in line with the rulings of the Constitutional Court (242/2019 and 135/2024).
However, the ASL emphasizes the need for regional authorization to proceed, a step that prompted the company to formally contact the Campania Region. To date, the response has been slow in arriving, leaving the case in a bureaucratic limbo.
51 requests in Italy, but the data is partial
The Luca Coscioni Association's survey collected information from 11 Regions - including Campania, Lombardy, Veneto, Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna, Liguria, Marche, Abruzzo, Bolzano, Sicily and Calabria - which provided data, albeit with different levels of detail. In total, 51 requests for assisted suicide have been registered so far at a national level, with varied outcomes: some approved, others rejected, many still in progress. The numbers from Veneto (15 requests), Lombardy (14) and Marche (7) stand out.
However, many local health authorities have chosen not to respond or to deny access to the data, highlighting a patchy transparency and timeframes that are often incompatible with the health conditions of the applicants.
The Galietta case and the appeal to the Region
In Campania, the case of Galietta, a 47-year-old from Montano Antilia suffering from spinal muscular atrophy, is emblematic of the difficulties encountered. In March 2021, the man had asked for verification of the conditions for assisted suicide, but the long wait pushed him to opt for deep palliative sedation. After two days, he died.
“A tragic example of how bureaucratic immobility can deny rights,” denounce Filomena Gallo and Marco Cappato, respectively national secretary and treasurer of the Luca Coscioni Association.
The two leaders launch an appeal to the Campania Region: "The proposed law on the end of life, filed a year ago and arrived in the Chamber after the work of a technical table, was sent back to the Budget Committee, despite not providing for expenses. Governor De Luca, last March 26, spoke of consultations with the Episcopal Conference and other parties, forgetting that in a secular country the rules are up to legislators, not the Church. We ask Campania to emerge from political ambiguity and guarantee a clear path that respects the rights of those who suffer".
National mobilization and a map for action
The Luca Coscioni Association's campaign, which will culminate on April 13, aims to raise public awareness and push institutions to fill regulatory and procedural gaps. A detailed map, available online, indicates the initiatives city by city, while pressure on the Regions continues to obtain complete and uniform data. In Campania, waiting for a clear answer remains the crucial point to guarantee dignity to those who, in conditions of extreme suffering, demand the right to choose.
Article published on 8 April 2025 - 14:37
It is important to talk about end of life, but it seems to me that things are very complicated and there are many people who do not know how to move in this context. Campania seems to have many difficulties and this is a serious problem for those in need.