Released After Serving Six-Year Sentence
Calls for "Debate on Legalizing Assisted Suicide" Grow
The Italian government's pardon and release of a husband who killed his terminally ill wife has reignited the debate over the legalization of assisted dying.
On December 26, Yonhap News reported on the case, citing the British daily The Times. According to the report, Franco Cioni, 77, who had been serving a sentence for killing his wife on December 22, was released from prison. This was made possible by a pardon granted by Italian President Sergio Mattarella.
Cioni had been serving a six-year prison sentence for killing his wife, who was battling cancer, at their home in April 2021. At the time of her death, she was 68 years old and her cancer had metastasized from her lungs to her brain. Last year, the court found Cioni guilty but took into account his devotion and humane support during his spouse's long illness, handing down a relatively light sentence in consideration of these circumstances.
Upon leaving prison, Cioni stated, "I am always aware that I must take responsibility for what I have done and for all the consequences of my actions." He added, "Illness is not just the patient's burden; caregivers also become ill," emphasizing that "the end of life and laws concerning caregivers need to be discussed first in parliament."
In Italy, patients have been allowed to refuse life-sustaining treatment since the Constitutional Court's decision in July 2024. However, euthanasia, including assisted suicide, remains fundamentally illegal in most regions.
The pardon granted to Cioni has strengthened calls for a discussion on the legalization of assisted dying, while concerns have also been raised, particularly from the Catholic Church.
The Catholic weekly 'Famiglia Cristiana' explained, "Cioni's pardon simply means that further punishment is deemed unnecessary," clarifying that "it does not amount to absolution." Pope Leo XIV, meeting with journalists on December 23, the day after Cioni's release, expressed strong regret over a recently passed law in his home state of Illinois, USA, allowing assisted dying for terminally ill patients. The law, which will take effect in September next year, applies to terminally ill patients with a life expectancy of six months or less. The Pope had previously called Governor JB Pritzker directly, urging him not to sign the bill into law.
The Catholic Church opposes all acts of ending one's own life, including assisted suicide.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
