Spain approved the law on euthanasia | This will be the sixth p …

The Chamber of Deputies of Spain approved by a large majority, at first reading, a bill guaranteeing the right to euthanasia under strict conditions. The text obtained the half-sanction with 198 votes in favor, 138 against and two abstentions. It will be sent back to the Senate next year where it is expected to be approved. The regulations state that a seriously ill person, disabling or incurable, can be helped to die on request, to avoid intolerable suffering. The project was presented by the PSOE bloc with the support of all left-wing parties. The People’s Party (PP) and Vox opposed it.

If the law is passed Spain will become the sixth country in the world to recognize the right to a dignified death. For the time being, this right has been granted in Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Canada and New Zealand. The Spanish Minister of Health Salvador Illa He assured that the polls show a “very broad support” of society for euthanasia. “It is an important day for all citizens because we are moving towards a more humane and fairer societyBut it is above all an important day for these people who are in a situation of serious illness and it is also important for their families and their close relations ”, reacted the person in charge.

The request for procedure must be made in writing and repeated fifteen days later.. Two doctors must give their approval successively, then it will be examined by a commission. Professionals who do not wish to participate in euthanasia can declare their “conscientious objection”. The cost of the procedure will be reimbursed by social security. For his part, the Second Vice-President and Minister of Social Rights, Pablo Iglesias, He celebrated the approval and recalled historical references. “Today I remember the struggle of people like Ramón Sampedro. (…) Thanks to them, Spain will be a more dignified and freer country ”, declared the official.

The traditional Spanish right protested against the project. Opposition MP PP, Jose Ignacio Echánizsaid the text was drafted in a hurry. “It is a defeat for all, a failure of our health system and our society“He added. Currently, the procedure is punishable up to 10 years in prison. Since coming to power in 2018, the Socialists had twice tried to pass such a law.