Naples - She has chosen to abandon the anonymity of "Coletta" to reveal the face of her battle. Her name is Ada, she's 44 years old and from Campania, and her life has been devastated by Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in a dramatically short time.
Diagnosed last year, the neurodegenerative disease consumed her "with lightning-fast violence": she lost the use of her hands, legs, and, finally, speech.
Through a video, read for her by her sister Celeste, Ada launched an appeal that resounds like a punch in the stomach to Italian politics, healthcare, and justice.
"Politicians, doctors, judges, look me in the eye: every imposed wait is one more torture," is his desperate cry.
The woman, who in the past lived life "with passion, joy and pain," now demands one last, inalienable freedom: "to be able to choose a dignified life and a peaceful death, close to my family, in my country." But access to this right has turned into a cruel legal "war."
The legal battle: ASL denial and urgent appeal
The story of Ada This is yet another case highlighting the legislative vacuum in Italy regarding end-of-life care. After requesting access to assisted suicide based on the requirements established by the historic Constitutional Court ruling 242/2019 (Cappato-Antoniani case), the 44-year-old was denied by her local health authority.
The initial denial was based on the failure to recognize three of the four fundamental requirements: the ASL had recognized only the irreversible pathology (ALS), denying instead the unequivocal will, the dependence on life-sustaining treatments and the intolerable nature of the suffering.
Assisted by the legal team coordinated by the lawyer Filomena Gallo, National Secretary of theLuca Coscioni Association, Ada had to file an urgent appeal with the Court of Naples to challenge this denial.
"Ada is facing an extraordinarily difficult ordeal," commented Attorney Gallo.
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During the hearing, a new medical evaluation of Ada's condition was agreed upon. The examinations were carried out, but she is now stuck in the agonizing limbo of waiting for the final report.
The Legal Border: Requirements and Precedents
Ada's case fits into the complex Italian legal framework. Assisted dying, in the absence of a law, is effectively regulated by ruling 242/2019, which decriminalized Article 580 of the Criminal Code only if the patient is:
Capable of self-determination.
Affected by irreversible disease.
Subject to physical or psychological suffering that he or she finds intolerable.
Dependent on life-sustaining treatments.
Furthermore, the recent constitutional ruling no. 135 of 2024 expanded the definition of "life-sustaining treatment" to include procedures performed by family members or caregivers, and established that the requirement is met even if the treatment was legitimately refused by the patient.
To date, only 16 people in Italy have received the green light for assisted suicide. Eleven of them have gone ahead with their choice, while Ada is still awaiting the bureaucratic verdict that will decide whether she can exercise her "freedom of choice" before ALS takes away her strength to fight.
Comments (1)
Ada's story is deeply touching and gives pause for thought regarding the issue of end-of-life care in Italy. However, there are many legal and moral issues to consider. The lack of clear legislation makes everything more complicated for people like her who seek help.