End of life in Italy: ethical issues and medical-legal aspects of medically assisted suicide

The debate on euthanasia and medically assisted suicide remains a complex issue, full of ethical, moral and legal implications, which has aroused strong emotions and conflicting opinions both in Italy and around the world. In Italy, the legal context surrounding euthanasia and medically assisted suicide is still characterized by an absence of specific rules regulating these practices. This has led to a situation in which the discussion on the end of life remains open and the practice of euthanasia remains illegal as the only interruption of life-sustaining treatments is allowed at present in accordance with the provisions of Law 219/17. Similarly, there is no specific rule concerning medically assisted suicide but only conditions identified by the case-law that make this practice not punishable in particular cases. In this delicate context, the role of the forensic physician is of paramount importance to ensure that these practices are carried out in a legal manner that respects the dignity of the patient. Starting from a description of the regulatory context of reference, a revision of news media cases that have been characterized by having added, from time to time, a piece to compose the current legal context, was conducted tracing analogies and similarities.