The bill that would have legalised euthanasia in Portugal was rejected Tuesday evening, with 110 votes in favour, 115 against, and only four abstentions. The vote took place after a “heated debate“.
The bill was drafted by the ruling Socialists and envisaged “legalization for medically assisted death based on an informed request by patients suffering profoundly from a serious, incurable illness with no expected improvement in sight, in a terminal state, or suffering from widely incapacitating lesion“. Supporters of the bill, Social Democrats on the left, “said the fight had only just begun“, and that they were pleased that the issue was now “firmly on the political agenda“.
The Portuguese Doctors’ Association opposed the bill, “saying it violated key principles of the medical profession“. That day, hundreds of people of all ages protested in front of the parliament building, chanting “Yes to life, no to euthanasia” and carrying signs: “We demand palliative care for ALL” and “Euthanasia is a recipe for elder abuse“.
Portugal legalised abortion in 2007 and same-sex marriage in 2010.
Reuters, Andrei Khalip (29/05/2018)