Four votes later, after two political vetoes and many others from the Constitution, the diploma decriminalizing medically assisted death will return to the Assembly of the Republic (AR). But the ping-pong between Parliament and Belém may be coming to an end: the various parties that proposed the text, including PS, now admit to reconfirming the diploma, a scenario that will oblige the President of the Republic to declare it.
Yesterday, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa stopped the decriminalization of medically assisted death and resorted to the political veto for the second time. In the message sent to AR, the head of state invokes the changes made to the most recent version of the diploma, specifically prioritizing medical assisted suicide over euthanasia, and asks delegates to clarify “who determines the patient’s physical inability to self-administer lethal drugs” and “who should provide medical supervision during death with medical assistance”.
But this time, the presidential veto was received in parliament in a substantially different tone, with all parties proposing the text – PS, BE, IL and PAN – underlining the repeated majority that approved decriminalization in the AR, conceding again confirm the diploma without further changes. Even Isabel Moreira left that foreseen. “Just as we always, time and again, the legitimate decision of the President of the Republic, the rulings of the Constitutional Court, the time has come to see that Parliament’s will is respected”, said the socialist deputy, quoted by Lusa.
The absolute majority of the PS is enough to reaffirm the text, but the Socialists are not alone in this intention. For Bloco de Esquerda, Catarina Martins was adamant: “The time has come to enforce the law and then we focus on the next step, which is its regulation”. For Cotrim Figueiredo, each of those involved in this process acted within their powers, but now “there is a moment when the sovereign will of those who are the elected representatives of the Portuguese people must prevailwho voted for a law for the fourth time, and it’s time that that majority was respected.”
At the end of the afternoon, the President of the Republic himself commented on the scenario of a reconfirmation of the diploma, recalling that in this case he is obliged to declare it. But he also added that if AR performs the “surgical” precision it suggests, it will have no reason to disapprove.
Of the opposition parties, the PSD urged holding referendum on medically assisted death, criticism of what he says is the “breathless haste” of the proposing parties to end this process. André Ventura believed that if the text is reaffirmed, it will represent “not only an institutional conflict”, but also “an anomaly and nonsense”, defending that the diploma should have gone to the Constitutional Court again.
For the PCP, Marcelo’s decision confirms “the difficulties” and “the doubts raised by a question of this sensitivity”.
Source: DN
