Naples – It seemed like the game was over with a “no”, but the story of the woman suffering from ALS who was denied access to the suicide medically assisted reopens.
Today, in the Naples courtroom, an agreement was reached between the patient's lawyers—also represented by Filomena Gallo—and those of the ASL Napoli 3 Sud, represented by Vincenzo Pansini.
The woman had requested to avail herself of the procedure provided for by the Constitutional Court rulings, but the ASL's multidisciplinary technical commission and the territorial ethics committee rejected the request, deeming the necessary conditions lacking.
The agreement in court
After a lengthy discussion, the parties agreed that the patient may resubmit her application, reaffirming her autonomous and informed will, and attaching updated medical documentation certifying any worsening of her condition and the presence of all the legal requirements.
The ASL has committed to quickly processing the case, reconvening the technical commission for a home visit – including audiovisual recordings – and to forwarding the clinical report to the ethics committee for the mandatory opinion.
The court declared the matter of dispute discontinued, fully compensating the legal costs.
“An example of substantial justice”
In a note, the ASL underlined how «all the subjects involved – judge, lawyers, doctors and parties – collaborated to find a shared solution, in the superior interest of health protection and the right topatient self-determination».
The case, which had sparked debate on end-of-life care, now awaits further processing: the final decision will depend on the outcome of the technical evaluation and the opinion of the ethics committee.
Article published by Giuseppe Del Gaudio on August 14, 2025, at 20:22 PM
Comments (1)
The fact that women can reapply is a step forward, but I don't understand why it took so long to get to this point. People's health conditions should be treated with greater urgency and care.