Luxembourg is to allow euthanasia from 1 April

Luxembourg has become the third European country, after the Netherlands and Belgium, to legalise euthanasia in certain cases. The new legislation, which is accompanied by a parallel text on palliative care, will enter into force on 1 April.

The law stipulates that doctors who carry out euthanasia and assisted suicides will not face “penal sanctions” or civil lawsuits as long as they first consult a colleague to ensure that the patient has a terminal illness, is in a “grave and incurable condition,” and has repeatedly asked for the right to die.

Within eight days of helping a patient to …