Tell Portugal's President to veto the euthanasia bill.

On Friday, January 29, the Portugal Parliament legalized euthanasia. President Marcelo de Sousa can veto the bill (Article about the bill).

Link to send your message to President de Sousa. https://www.presidencia.pt/?action=3

President Marcelo de Sousa

Email: belem@presidencia.pt

Dear President Marcelo de Sousa

I urge you to veto the euthanasia bill that recently passed in the Portuguese Parliament.

Euthanasia is a form of homicide. It allows medical practitioners to lethally inject a patient upon request.

Similar to Canada's euthanasia law, the bill allows lethal injection based on subjective not objective considerations. Even if the "suffering" can be alleviated, death may be permitted based on whether or not the person considers the treatment acceptable.

The term suffering also includes psychiatric suffering, which means, euthanasia for psychiatric conditions would be permitted when the person asking to be killed considers the treatment options unacceptable.

The term permanent injuries specifically permits euthanasia for people with disabilities.

United Nations experts published a press release on January 25, titled: Disability is not a reason to sanction medically assisted dying, which expresses alarm at a growing trend of nations, such as Portugal, enacting legislation enabling access to medically assisted dying based on having a disability or disabling conditions, including old age (Link to the Press Release). The Press release states:

“Disability should never be a ground or justification to end someone’s life directly or indirectly.”

Such legislative provisions would institutionalize and legally authorize ableism, and directly violate Article 10 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which requires States to ensure that persons with disabilities can effectively enjoy their inherent right to life on an equal basis with others.

The Portuguese Medical Association, stated in July, that it opposes euthanasia and informed the government that they will not permit doctors to participate in the euthanasia commission (the commission to approve euthanasia). At the same time, a group of 15 law professors, including Professor Jorge Miranda, known as the father of Portugal's Constitution, stated that the euthanasia bills are unconstitutional.

You were recently re-elected with 61% support from your citizens. This is your time to lead and protect your citizens.

Portugal needs to care for its people, not kill them.

I urge you to veto the euthanasia bill.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Link to send your message to President de Sousa. Email: belem@presidencia.pt or https://www.presidencia.pt/?action=3