An Italian writer suffering from Parkinson’s disease has become the first person to undergo medically assisted suicide under a newly implemented regional law in Tuscany, the pro-euthanasia Luca Coscioni Association announced.
Daniele Pieroni, born in 1961, died at home on May 17, three months after Tuscany passed legislation to streamline the assisted dying process. He had lived with Parkinson’s since 2008 and required a feeding tube for 21 hours a day.
According to the association, Pieroni self-administered the lethal medication in the presence of doctors and his family.
While assisted suicide remains illegal under Italian law and is punishable by 5 to 12 years in prison, a 2019 Constitutional Court ruling created an exception for terminally ill patients experiencing “intolerable” physical or psychological suffering who are kept alive by life-support treatments and capable of making informed decisions.
Despite this ruling, the absence of national legislation has left many patients in legal limbo. Tuscany’s centre-left government became the first of Italy’s 20 regions to create a fast-track framework for such requests in February 2025.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing coalition opposes euthanasia and has challenged the regional law in court. However, the legal challenge did not impact Pieroni’s case.
The Luca Coscioni Association is urging other regions to adopt similar measures, stating, “Too many people continue to suffer or emigrate to die with dignity. We call on all regions to ensure freedom and respect for personal choices.”
Since the court ruling in 2019, eight people have legally died via medically assisted suicide in Italy. The first was Federico Carboni, a 44-year-old tetraplegic man from Marche, in June 2022.
