The Senate approved the legislation on Thursday by 180 votes to 71, with six abstentions.
The definitive green light was met with a resounding round of applause in the Upper House, as the law was hailed by most political parties.
The new legislation will allow Italians to choose what medical intervention they wish to receive at the end of their life, including whether or not they want to be fed and hydrated artificially once they can no longer eat or drink by themselves.
No medical treatment can be started or continued without the patient’s informed consent, and if they are not able to communicate, doctors will have to refer to the instructions outlined in their “living will”.
Right-to-die activists have hailed the legislation, saying it has “finally” come eight years after the controversial case of Eluana Englaro, a young woman sent into a persistent vegetative state by a car accident and kept alive for 17 years against the wishes of her family, who said she would have preferred to die.
The new law does not legalise euthanasia or assisted suicide, though right-to-die campaigners have claimed that is their next goal.
Italian Premier Paolo Gentiloni celebrated the new law, tweeting: “Living wills: green light from the Senate to a civilised choice. A step forward for the dignity of people.”
“Parliament has taken a decision that allows everyone to take a step forward in terms of civilisation for the country and dignity for the human person, and so I’m very satisfied,” the premier added while speaking in Brussels.
With ANSA
