Italian Senate Approves End-of-Life Bill That Bans Withdrawing Food and Water From Patients

The Italian Senate approved a bill Thursday to ban caregivers from suspending food and water to any patient — a move that comes after a right-to-die case divided the nation. The woman in that case, Eluana Englaro, died last month after her family cut off her food and water. She had been at the center of a legal battle since entering a vegetative state following a 1992 car accident. The new bill, if approved by the lower house of parliament, would allow people to decide in advance how they want to be treated if they become incapacitated and to state it in a living will. Currently, Italy has no law allowing a living will. Italian End-of-Life Senate Bill