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Agenzia di Stampa Statale di Montedica

Montenzari State Press Agency

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Edited May 23 by Montedica (see edit history)

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Montenzari bishops oppose efforts to legalize euthanasia.

PORCELLA ( Montedica )  — Various Montenzari bishops and other members of the Catholic Church have officially stated their opposition to the "Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide Bill" currently being debated on the National Council, calling it "homicide carried out in a clinical context."

"It is not ethically acceptable to cause the death of a patient, not even to avoid pain and suffering, even if he or she expressly requests it," the Montenzari Bishops' Conference said in a document presented today during a press conference. The paper was prepared by a "team of experts", led by Bishop Stephan Porescallo of Porcella, who is also a medical doctor, in response to the bill introduced to the legislature. In their statement, the bishops argue that the legislation challenges "the absolute value of human life and its character as an untouchable and inalienable fundamental human right, and goes against the Constitution and human rights."

According to the document, the Montenzari Catholic Church is ready to "request intervention by the Supreme Court of Justice" to rule the bill unconstitutional, on the grounds that it contradicts Article 10° of the 2022 Constitution of Montedica which states that "the right to life is inherent to the human person. Its protection is guaranteed from its conception [...] and all inhabitants will be protected by the State in their physical and psychic integrity, as well as in their honour, reputation, freedom, security, job, housing and prosperity." Similar strategies have been used by the Catholic Church to block the formal legalisation of abortion. However, it has not prevented the passage of other laws which have effectively created enough loopholes to make abortion de facto legal in the country.

Opposing assisted suicide does not mean it is necessary to keep a patient alive through any means, the bishops clarified. They cautioned against an obstinate insistence on treatment that will prolong life without the prospect of recovery, saying, "The application of disproportionate therapeutic and diagnostic procedures only serves to prolong the agony uselessly." However, they continued arguing that "palliative care can be properly used to alleviate suffering in the face of an untreatable condition and is a morally acceptable alternative to causing death in the patient." People living with serious illnesses or approaching death "especially need and want all kinds of support, as well as pastoral care," the bishops said. "It's a fact consistent with the spiritual nature of the human being confirmed by sociological science."

As the servant of humanity, they said, the Church wants to "offer the light of Christ to illuminate the most painful and difficult human circumstances". The bishops prayed that God would guide the councillors in their deliberations, toward "a Montedica that welcomes, protects, supports, and accompanies each person throughout their existence, including the final stage of their earthly life, with the much-needed assistance of the family, palliative medicine, and genuine religious experience."

 

 

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National Council passes the Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide bill in a historic vote.

PORCELLA ( Montedica )  — After a heated seventeen-hour-long debate, the National Council has approved the Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide bill proposed by Movimento Diritti, which would formally legalise euthanasia in Montedica despite widespread opposition by conservative and religious groups. The bill managed to obtain 147 votes in favour, while 102 councillours voted against it and one abstained.

The bill has proven to be extremely divisive among the members of the governing coalition, who ultimately decided not to back the bill, with 81 out of their 133 councilors voting against it. The Green Party temporarily joined the ranks of the opposition, voting overwhelmingly in favour of the bill (17 in favour and 1 abstention), while the Partito Socialista remained mostly divided (25 for, 27 against). The greatest resistance against the bill within the coalition came from the Partito Nazionale, with only 8 of their councillors voting in favour of the bill, while 54 voted against it. The opposition provided most of the needed votes for the approval of the bill, with 81 councillors of the left-leaning Nuovo Alternativo (out of their 101) voting in favour, while the 15 members from Movimento Diritti and the single councillor of the Partito Rivoluzionario also voted in favour.

"We are consecrating a right that puts our social and human rights legislation at the forefront wurldwide," Councillor Galileo Scelza of the Movimento Diritti party said in a TV interview shortly after the result was announced. "The right of individuals to decide on their own destiny and to avoid suffering that they consider unbearable according to their perception is recognized. Likewise, through this law, concrete guarantees are established for patients, physicians, and other actors involved in the assistance process," another councillor from Movimento Diritti explained.

The bill has now been sent to the Doge of the Republic, who can directly sign it into law, send it back to the National Council for further review, or exercise his right to veto the bill within 30 days of being passed by the National Council. A veto from the Doge is unlikely to happen, as he has never exercised this right before, even when laws he has been vocally opposed to made it out of the National Council, although the possibility can not be ruled out as several members of the Partito Nazionale have already petitioned the Doge to veto the bill.

A ducal veto would not be the final demise of the bill, as it can be overturned by a majority of the National Council, but would delay the bill from entering into force for at least another year as various legal processes and formalities must be done before a vote to overturn the veto can take place. However, it is not guaranteed that the Council would have enough power to overturn his veto then, as general elections are scheduled to happen in July this year and the current Council will be dissolved and replaced with newly elected members in June.