The Spanish Congress of Deputies yesterday approved by a large majority the law legalizing euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. A new story that makes Spain one of the few countries in the world to allow a patient suffering from an incurable disease or suffering from chronic pain, to die to put an end to their suffering.
Spain becomes fourth European country to legalize euthanasia
The Spanish parliament approved, this Thursday, March 18, 2021, the legalization of euthanasia. After the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, Spain thus becomes the fourth European country to decriminalize euthanasia. FYI, Portugal also passed a law legalizing euthanasia at the end of January but the Constitutional Court rejected the text last Monday, which will lead it to be referred to deputies.
Regardless, Spain is now becoming one of the few countries in the world to allow a patient with an incurable disease to die to end their suffering. Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who had made this law a priority, spoke on the subject by declaring on Twitter that Spain is thus becoming a ” a more humane, fairer and freer country “.
The conditions governing the request for euthanasia
In fact, Spanish law allows both euthanasia (when the caregiver causes the death of the patient) and medically assisted suicide (when the patient himself takes the prescribed dose of product to kill himself). The text thus provides that any person suffering from a serious and incurable disease or suffering from chronic pain placing him in a situation of incapacity, can request the assistance of the medical profession to die.
Certain conditions have been provided for to frame the process. To have recourse to euthanasia, the person (Spanish or resident in the country) must therefore be “ capable and aware »During his request. The latter must then be formulated in writing ” without external pressure »And must be renewed thereafter, within fifteen days. Then, the request for euthanasia will have to be submitted to the opinion of a doctor and will have to receive the green light from an evaluation committee. If the criteria and conditions are not met, the doctor can claim ” his conscientious objection “.
