Austrian government approves bill to allow indirect euthanasia for critically ill patients

The Austrian government has approved a bill that will allow indirect euthanasia for seriously ill people from 2022. About it informs WHAT.

The bill implies that the decision on euthanasia will have to be made by the patient himself. To enter the drug, he will have to sign a special document. Permission for indirect euthanasia will also be required by two doctors, one of whom must be a palliative care specialist.

The euthanasia of minors in Austria will continue to be prohibited, as will active direct euthanasia performed without the patient’s consent.

Earlier, the Austrian Constitutional Court lifted the ban on indirect euthanasia. After that, the government of the country has developed a bill, the vote on which will take place in December.

Euthanasia is currently legal in four European countries: Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. In January of this year, the Portuguese parliament also approved the legalization of euthanasia, but on March 16, the country’s Constitutional Court ruled the bill unconstitutional due to vague wording. In Germany, passive euthanasia is allowed, when supportive therapy can be stopped with the consent of a seriously ill patient or his relatives.