LISBON, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Portuguese parliament will debate the decriminalization of medically-assisted death on Tuesday, followed by a roll-call vote that could go either way, local media reported.
Members of parliament will debate four separate euthanasia motions, tabled by four left-leaning parties: the People Animals and Nature Party (PAN), the Left Block (BE), the Socialist Party (PS) and the Greens (PEV).
Each proposal is slightly different, but all advocate that people of adult age (over 18) declared to be sound of mind can request, through a doctor, medically-assisted death if suffering from an incurable illness.
The BE (with 19 members of parliament), PEV (2 members) and PAN (1 member) will vote yes.
The right-leaning Central Social Democratic-Popular Party (CDS-PP, 18 members) and the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP, 15 members) have announced they will vote no.
With Portugal's parliament comprising 230 lawmakers, that leaves the two main parties, the PS (86 members) and the center-right Social Democrats (PSD, 89 members). Both parties have been granted a free vote by their party leaders.
The majority of PS members are expected to vote in favor, while most PSD members will likely vote against. But there are a number of rebels on either side, not least Rui Rio, leader of the PSD, who has declared that he will vote yes.
Portugal's prime minister and leader of the PS Antonio Costa has also announced he will vote yes.
The final result will be close and may boil down to the number of abstentions. If one of the four motions is approved, it will be redrafted by a parliamentary committee and voted on again. If passed, it will then be submitted to the president for approval.
In Europe, euthanasia (when a doctor ends a patient's life at the patient's request)) is legal in Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg. Physician-assisted death (typically assisted suicide, whereby a doctor facilitates the patient taking his or her own life) is permissible in Switzerland, Germany, Finland and Austria under certain circumstances.
