Portugal's parliament overturns Presidential veto of euthanasia bill

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

The Portugal News reported today (May 12) that Portugal's parliament overturned President de Sousa's veto of the euthanasia bill:

Parliament has today confirmed the decree on medically assisted death, which had been vetoed by the President of the Republic, with a total of 129 votes in favour, forcing its promulgation.

On March 31, The Portugal Resident reported that Portugal's Parliament passed a fourth euthanasia bill with two of the previous bills being declared unconstitutional by Portugal's Constitutional Court and a third bill being vetoed by President de Sousa. The current bill permitted assisted suicide, but persons with disabilities who would have difficulty self-administering with assisted suicide could die by euthanasia.

President de Sousa

On April 20, Portugal's President Marcelo Rebello de Sousa vetoed the fourth euthanasia bill that had passed in parliament. According to Natasha Donn reporting for the Portgual Resident on April 20 stated:

President Marcelo has returned the 4th draft of the bill decriminalising assisted dying to parliament, admitting that his reservations are his own and will not require another sending of the text to the Constitutional Court. ...Marcelo’s doubts came in the form of who “defines the patient’s physical incapacity to self-administer lethal drugs, as well as who should ensure medical supervision during the act of medically assisted death.”

Euthanasia directly and intentionally causes the death of a person by lethal injection. Portugal needs to commit to a culture that cares for its citizens in need, not kill them.