Euthanasia and medically assisted suicide: the Italian legal framework

This dissertation aims at describing the practices of euthanasia and assisted suicide in the Italian legal framework, the different classifications and the requirements to access them. As euthanasia is one of the most debated topics nowadays in our society, it explains the different arguments brought by proponents and opponents of this practice, highlighting matters such as the use of palliative care, respect for patient’s autonomy and the protection of vulnerable individuals. It brings the Italian leading cases which led to an evolution of the concept of end-of-life issues in Italy and thus explains how the legislation developed during the last years until today. To conclude, it makes a distinction among different jurisdiction compared to Italy, to see the main differences through statistics and through the trend of suicide tourism.