Piergiorgio Welby
Piergiorgio Welby (born December 26, 1945 in Rome , † December 20, 2006 ibid) was co-president of the Italian association Associazione Luca Coscioni . He became famous when he started a public discussion on euthanasia in 2006. In Italy, both active and passive euthanasia are illegal.
course
In 1963, Welby was diagnosed with progressive muscular dystrophy , and the doctor predicted a maximum life expectancy of twenty years. He had been dependent on a wheelchair since the 1980s. However, Welby was only in the last stage of the disease in 2006, was almost completely paralyzed, bedridden and could no longer speak. He's also needed a ventilator for ten years. He could only communicate by moving his eyes with the help of a special device.
On September 22, 2006, an open letter, combined with a video, was published to the Italian President Giorgio Napolitano , in which Welby demanded the right to self-determined death. Napolitano replied immediately, calling for a political debate on the issue. On December 16, 2006, the competent court in Rome rejected Welby's request for passive euthanasia. Welby died anyway on December 20, 2006 with the help of his doctor Mario Riccio, who administered an anesthetic to him and then switched off the ventilator. The resulting murder charge against Riccio was dismissed by a court in Rome. The Catholic Church then refused him a church burial.
literature
- Piergiorgio Welby: Lasciatemi the . Rizzoli, 2006, ISBN 8817015679
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Spiegel Online: Catholic Church refuses funeral for Welby ( Memento from June 12, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Welby, Piergiorgio |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Italian co-president of the Associazione Luca Coscioni |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 26, 1945 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Rome |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 20, 2006 |
| Place of death | Rome |