CDE News – Strasbourg
A proposal on euthanasia made its way among the recommendations brought forward by citizens’ panels from accross Europe debated today at a plenary session on the Conference for the Future of Europe (CFoE) is the introduction of euthanasia.
In a report presented on Saturday, delegates called on the EU to support palliative care and assisted death [euthanasia] following a concrete set of rules and regulations.
“We recommend this because it would reduce the pain of the patients and families and it would ensure a decent end of life”, the proponents argued.
Earlier this week, Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela said that the country must start a discussion on euthanasia. Euthanasia – or assisted dying with medical support – is only legal in Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and more recently in Spain.
Other proposals discussed in Strasbourg focused on sexual education and mental health, with proposals recommending that the European Union takes a strong stance in influencing all Member States to include in their school curricula, as appropriate, these two issues. Speakers focused on the need to decrease discrimination and taboos regarding mental health issues. The report describes sexual education as “fundamental for a healthy life and community, and prevents problems such as teenager pregnancies”.
The approval of these proposals at this stage does not guarantee their inclusion on the final report, which now rests on the Executive Board of the Conference. Thousands of citizens from across Europe have shared their opinion in this wide-ranging democratic exercise, participating in both Citizens’ panels as well as by providing input on a Multilingual Digital Platform.
Photo Credit – European Parliament
