PS deputies Pedro Cegonho, Maria João Castro and Romualda Fernandes, who previously opposed diplomas on the decriminalization of euthanasia, are preparing to vote on Friday to confirm the decree vetoed by the president of the republic.
On 31 March, in the final vote on the decriminalization of medically assisted death, five out of a total of 120 PS deputies voted against, although Pedro Cegonho was not present as he was on a parliamentary mission in Bulgaria.
Pedro Cegonho and Maria João Castro are authors of an explanation of vote accessed by the Lusa agency, in which they justify the change of vote and claim that next Friday the parliamentary confirmation of a decree of the Assembly of the Republic is at stake .
“In this parliamentary review, taking into account the path taken around the legal text and considering that the current task of the Assembly of the Republic is whether or not to repeat the legal solution already democratically approved and expressed in a final global vote that has already taken place, it is our main duty to recognize and respect the democratic, constitutional and procedural legitimacy of such a vote, by voting in favor of this confirmation”read out the explanation of vote of the two Socialist Members.
The Assembly of the Republic should on Friday confirm the diploma vetoed by the President of the Republic on medically assisted death, an intention announced by PS, BE, IL and PAN, forcing its promulgation.
According to the constitution of the republic, despite a right of veto, the parliament can confirm the text with an absolute majority of the deputies in office, 116 out of 230, and in this case the president of the republic will approve the diploma within eight days after the date of receipt.
This is the fourth bill that aims to decriminalize medically assisted death and amend the Criminal Code. The issue has already been the target of two political vetoes by the head of state and two vetoes following unconstitutionality declared by the Constitutional Court.
The explanation of vote of Pedro Cegonho and Maria João Castro notes that in Portugal “the Assembly of the Republic legislates and supervises the government, the government carries out its program, directs the public administration and legislates, within the margin of competition or where permitted by the Assembly”.
“And the President of the Republic enacts laws and decree-laws, politically vetoing them or sending them for inspection by the Constitutional Court. It is the fundamental principle of the separation of powers that is in operation. An expression of the democratic rule of law. And it is a normal relationship between the institutions”maintain the two PS deputies.
They also acknowledge some positive changes in the content of the decree in question during Friday’s vote.
“We cannot fail to recognize that both the concentration of the concept of suffering of great intensity, and the statute that euthanasia is decriminalized only when medical assisted suicide is impossible due to physical incapacity, bring greater certainty and legal definition to the situations that have occurred. approved by the Assembly of the Republic”point.
Despite these changes, Pedro Cegonho and Maria João Castro remain against euthanasia.
“It is important to reaffirm that if he had taken part in the last global vote, the axiological position of Deputy Pedro Cegonho would be unfavorable to decriminalization – as it was in the previous ballots in general and the global finals in which he participated”It’s been noted.
Maria João Castro, the co-author of the explanation of vote, was part of the group of five PS deputies who rejected the diploma in a final vote on March 31.
Source: DN
