For some time now, we have been witnessing a shift in palliative care, or at least in part of it. The ‘palliative care movement’ has always embodied the spirit of a middle way between euthanasia and unreasonable obstinacy – that form of support which should never have meant ‘pushing towards death’. Today, this is no longer the case   

The Veneto region regulates the timeframe and procedures for assisted suicide, but the Constitutional Court has already set precise limits on regional legislation. And whilst the health service struggles to guarantee care and support for the most vulnerable patients, the crux of the matter remains a political decision that does not address the shortcomings in patient care.