Portuguese Parliament Rejects Euthanasia Bill

On Tuesday May 29, 2018, Portugal’s parliament rejected a bill to make euthanasia and assisted suicide legal.
MP’s voted to reject all 4 bills presented, including one from the Socialist Party who has the majority vote. Other bills were presented by the Greens, the far-left group (Left-Bloc) and the Party for People-Animals-Nature.
On the right, the conservative Social Democrat Party (center-right) did not give any voting instructions, leaving the MP’s to vote according to their conscience, while the right-wing minority party stated their opposition to all 4 draft bills.
The Communist Party declared its’ opposition to any form of legal euthanasia or assisted suicide. Their manifesto stated that social progress for society does not consist in renouncing one’s responsibilities by causing death in an expeditious manner, but rather by “providing the conditions to live in dignity, deploying all the means and possibilities for social order, science and technology to overcome suffering and sickness, and by ensuring social inclusion and support for the family. “
A recent survey, sponsored by the forum “Think and Debate” (Pensar & Debater), revealed that the vast majority of respondents (89%) prefer investing in palliative care rather than legalizing euthanasia.