Italy’s constitutional court rejects euthanasia referendum

Italy’s Constitutional Court has shot down a bid to decriminalize assisted suicide, judging that there were inadequate protections for the weakest.

Right-to-die advocates in Italy have been trying to force a referendum on the contentious issue in the largely Catholic country where opposition is strong. It gathered 750,000 signatures in August, well above the minimum required.

In announcing its decision on Feb 15, the court said the proposed referendum would not guarantee the constitutionally guaranteed “minimum protection of human life in general, particularly with reference to weak and vulnerable persons.”

Under current Italian law, anyone helping another person commit suicide can be jailed for between five and 12 years.

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