Italian Constitutional Court blocks expansion of assisted suicide

On 24 July 2026 the Italian Constitutional Court delivered two landmark rulings on assisted suicide. Decision n. 152 rejected a petition by eight patients seeking to abolish the requirement that a person be dependent on life‑support treatments in order to access assisted suicide, reaffirming the criteria established by the 2017 law and earlier jurisprudence. The same day, decision n. 148 upheld the regional Sardinian law’s procedural framework for organising assisted‑suicide services but struck down specific provisions that the Court deemed to exceed regional competence, such as independent eligibility criteria and the right to suspend treatment.

The rulings were praised by anti‑euthanasia groups, who argued the judgments prevent a broader legalisation of assisted suicide and reinforce the current regulatory framework, while also signalling that further regional legislation on the matter will likely be deemed unconstitutional.