Executive Director - Euthanasia Prevention Coalition
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| Portugeese Assembly |
Members of the Assembly in Portugal defeated four proposals to legalize euthanasia. The closest vote was on a bill drafted by the ruling socialist party. Reuters reported:
The bill, drafted by the ruling Socialists garnered 110 votes in the 230-seat parliament, but was outvoted by 115 opponents, with 4 abstentions, after a heated debate and a vote that required each lawmaker to declare his or her stance.Reuters reported that protesters, opposing euthanasia, were outside of parliament with three main slogans:
“Yes to life, no to euthanasia!” and carrying placards “We demand palliative care for ALL”, or “Euthanasia is a recipe for elder abuse”The Portugeese American Journal reported that the Medical Association opposes euthanasia:
The Portuguese Doctors’ Association opposed the bill, saying it violated their professional principles. A petition by the Portuguese Federation for Life a few collected more than 14,000 signatures opposing the bill on the principle that society and the state have a duty to protect human life.The Morning Star online reported why the Communist party opposed euthanasia:
Communist MP Antonio Filipe explained that the party saw euthanasia “not as a sign of progress but a step towards civilisational retrogression with profound social, behavioural and ethical implications.
“In a context in which the value of human life is frequently made conditional on criteria of social utility, economic interest, family responsibilities and burdens or public spending, legalisation of early death would add a new dimension of problems,” he told parliament.
“Faced with human suffering, the solution is not to divest society of responsibility by promoting early death but to ensure conditions for a dignified life.”In the past month, euthanasia bills have been defeated in Finland, Guernsey (UK), and the courts have declared that the California assisted suicide law is unconstitutional.
1 comment:
It is important to state that one of the main reasons the euthanasia legislation failed is that it was opposed by the communist party. The interesting part of these issues is that our allies and our coalition varies.
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