At a point when the country is trying to ‘save lives’, it would have been bizarre to see a bill go through parliament allowing people to decide on whether they wanted to be allowed to end them.
As it is the bid to pave a path towards decriminalisation of euthanasia has failed.
PS Socialists, Bloco de Esquerda, PCP communists, PEV (greens), a smattering of centre-right PSD MPs – including the party’s leader Rui Rio – plus two independents today voted against the proposal to allow a national referendum on the subject.
The bill was pushed by the ‘Federation for Life”.
Explain reports, it was never really a possibility that MPs would vote in favour.
Those that supported the idea, however, were the centre-right CDS-PP, Initiativa Liberal and Chega (right wing), though this last party didn’t vote as its only MP was away campaigning for the presidential elections which come up in January.
