In a landmark decision and in a blow to the socialists and liberals in Portugal and around the world, RT has reported that the constitutional court of Portugal has turned down a bill approved by parliament earlier this year to decriminalise the euthanasia of terminally-ill patients.
The Constitutional Court of Portugal said the euthanasia bill threatened the principle of “inviolability of life”.
The Court is made up of 12 judges. Seven of the 12 judges including the head of the Constitutional Court Joao Caupers, voted against approving the legislation this week. Judge Caupers pointed out that the conditions under which medically-assisted death stops being a punishable offense must be “clear, precise, predictable and controllable” – a bar the court said the legislation had failed to reach.
The bill was criticised for using terms that were “excessively undefined concepts.” Portuguese MP’s now have an opportunity to rework the bill.
Portugal law makers want to join Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, Switzerland, Canada, New Zealand and several US states in providing assisted suicide.
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