The Italian Council of Ministers decided this Thursday to challenge before the Constitutional Court the law of the Veneto region that regulates the procedures and deadlines for healthcare assistance in medically assisted suicide. This is the first center-right governed region to approve a regulation of this kind, which has opened a rift within the majority itself. Pro-life associations had been expecting the challenge since the regional Council approved the text in early September.
The League is divided and Forza Italia calls for a national law
Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini did not participate in the discussion or the vote. Minister for Regional Affairs Roberto Calderoli, also from the League, opposed the appeal, arguing that the regional law is organizational in nature and merely sets guidelines in line with current regulations. For his part, Antonio Tajani of Forza Italia requested that the minutes record the need for legislative intervention by Parliament to prevent disparate regional regulations.
The government maintains that the matter falls under state jurisdiction and not that of the regions. With this appeal, the government has already challenged the laws of other regions on the same issue, all of them center-left. The appeal alone does not repeal the regulation or automatically suspend its application.
Zaia and Stefani defend the regulation
Luca Zaia, president of the Veneto Regional Council, said he respected the government’s decision but claimed «with conviction the choice made by the Veneto Regional Council.» Alberto Stefani, president of the region, for his part expressed that he was «convinced that it will pass the Constitutional Court’s review,» understanding that the Veneto law is substantially different from those approved in other regions.
The law, number 17 of September 8, 2026, was approved by the regional Council on September 2. It does not modify the access requirements established by the Constitutional Court, but rather regulates the functions of health authorities, medical commissions, and ethics committees. In its ruling 204 of 2025 on the Tuscany law, the Court held that regions may legislate on the organizational and procedural aspects of this service.
Sicilian bishops call for prioritizing care over assisted death
On the same day, the Sicilian Episcopal Conference released a statement on regional bill numbers 553, 713, and 1203, which the Sicilian Regional Assembly is examining. The bishops say they view the text «with attention and concern» and recall that «there is no right to obtain death.» They ask that no regional regulation go beyond what the Constitution indicates and that the priority be care for people, with palliative care and pain therapy.
The statement also calls for concrete measures for family caregivers, such as home care, financial assistance, and tax benefits. It quotes Leo XIV: «What is legal is not necessarily moral.» The prelates finally hope that the Catholic laity will speak out as such and bear witness that «fragile life must never be discarded,» according to the text published by the diocese of Acireale.