Calabria assisted‑death legislation push hits 5,000 signs

In late July 2026, Marco Cappato, treasurer of the Luca Coscioni Association, addressed the Festival del Lamento in Soveria Mannelli, urging attendees to back the regional popular‑law proposal “Liberi Subito,” which seeks to codify procedures for medically assisted death in Calabria.

A week later the campaign reported that more than 5,000 Calabrians had signed the initiative, reinforcing its push to give practical effect to the Constitutional Court’s 2019 ruling on the right to assisted death. The same report also highlighted a separate governance issue: the Regional Health Guarantor post remains vacant, prompting civil‑rights leader Franco Corbelli to call on the regional president and governor to fill the position.

By early August the signature count was confirmed to have reached the 5,000‑person threshold required to submit “Liberi Subito” to the Regional Council. Organisers stressed that, while the constitutional right exists, concrete regional regulations are still needed to make it operational, and they pointed to similar laws already approved in Lombardy, Lazio, Piedmont and other regions.

On 3 August the initiative’s success was formally announced: activist Marco Cappato and regional councilor Enzo Bruno said the 5,000‑signature milestone demonstrates popular demand to implement the Constitutional Court’s ruling. The statement also noted parallel developments elsewhere—Piedmont has gathered over 11,000 signatures and secured mayoral support, Emilia‑Romagna has already enacted its own assisted‑suicide law, and Puglia passed an open‑source software statute—illustrating a broader wave of legislative activity across Italian regions.

Together, the snapshots show the movement’s transition from public advocacy to measurable public support, while also drawing attention to broader health‑system challenges and the unresolved vacancy of the Regional Health Guarantor.