Supporters of the bill to legalize euthanasia held placards calling for the “right to die peacefully” to be granted. Spain has passed a law legalizing euthanasia, becoming the fourth country in Europe to allow people to end their own lives under certain circumstances. On Thursday, the lower house of the Spanish Parliament approved the bill with the support of centrist and left-wing parties.
The law allows adults with “serious and incurable” illnesses that cause “unbearable suffering” to make the decision to end their lives. It is expected to take effect in June. Before the law was passed, assisting in voluntary euthanasia in Spain could result in a prison sentence of up to 10 years. “Today we have become a more humane, just and free country,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wrote on Twitter a few minutes after the vote. “The law on euthanasia, which was strongly demanded by society, has finally become a reality.”
Euthanasia advocates welcomed the passage of the law, while conservative and religious groups condemned it. Currently, euthanasia is legal only in Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Canada, and Colombia. Portugal’s parliament tried to pass a similar law, but this week the country’s Supreme Court struck it down as unconstitutional. Lawmakers in the lower house of the Spanish Parliament passed a law with 202 votes in favor, 141 against, and 2 abstentions. In order for Spain’s coalition government, led by Prime Minister Sanchez of the Socialist Party, to pass the law, it had to seek support from other parties.
“Today is an important day: we are moving towards the recognition of human rights. We are moving towards a more humane and just society,” Health Minister Karolina Darias told lawmakers.
The deputies who voted for the law applauded after it was passed in the lower house. Groups of supporters and opponents of the bill demonstrated near the walls of the Parliament during the debates and votes. Daniela Acer Lorente, a 45-year-old teacher whose mother suffered from Alzheimer’s and was denied the right to end her own life, told Agence France-Presse: “From today, we Spaniards will be able to sleep better and feel a little freer.”
The far-right party Vox intends to overturn the law in the country’s constitutional court. However, the new law also has implacable opponents in the form of far-right and religious groups who believe that euthanasia is wrong. The far-right Vox party said it would challenge the law in Spain’s Constitutional Court.
Spanish law allows two ways to end one’s life: euthanasia and assisted suicide. Euthanasia is the act of intentionally ending a life to relieve suffering, such as a lethal injection administered by a physician. In the case of assisted suicide, the act is performed by the person themselves with the assistance of another person. To use either option, a person must The physician may deny the request if the requirements are not met. The request must be approved by a second physician and the regulatory agency. Any physician may refuse to participate in the procedure on moral grounds.