• Portuguese parliament votes to legalize the controversial practice of euthanasia

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    Portuguese parliament votes to legalize the controversial practice of euthanasia

    Lisbon: In a ground breaking step in Portugal, on Friday, its national parliament voted to make the practice of euthanasia a legal action.





    According to reports, around 138 lawmakers voted against 84 to back the practice in the parliament.





    However, to legalize this practice of medically assisted dying, the bill requires to pass the final hurdle and be signed by the president of the country Marcelo Rebelo, who is mostly a conservative and a Catholic believer.           





    It is believed that Rebelo, who is hardly in support of this, might impose a veto. This might force the bill for further parliamentary review or send it back to the Constitutional Court for further examination.





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    This key bill has been passed for the second time in the parliament. Earlier this year, the judges of the Constitutional Court had blocked the original bill referring it as too vague.





    The practice of euthanasia allows medically assisted dying. It is often being seen as a controversial practice and a very few countries in the world has legalized it today.





    If it passes the final hurdle than Portugal will become one of the very few European nations to legalize this practice.