Martina Oppelli, 50, from Trieste, has died by assisted suicide in Switzerland after her appeals for a “sensible law” on the practice were “met with silence” in Italy. Afflicted with multiple sclerosis for over 20 years, Oppelli stated she could not endure waiting for a potential “fourth denial” of her request to self-administer life-ending medication.
Facing severe health deterioration, she undertook what was described as a “titanic effort” and a “very long” final journey to Switzerland seeking “a dignified end to her suffering.” She died there this morning.
The Luca Coscioni association, which long supported her legal battle, announced her decision. Oppelli was accompanied to Switzerland by Claudio Stellari and Matteo D’Angelo, members of the civil disobedience group Soccorso Civile, whose legal representative is Marco Cappato. Thirty-one other individuals provided logistical and financial support; their names will be disclosed later, the association stated.
Her death abroad contrasts sharply with that of fellow multiple sclerosis sufferer Laura Santi, 50, who died just ten days earlier in her Perugia home using Italy’s existing medically assisted suicide provisions – the option Oppelli had hoped for in Trieste. Both women shared the same impassioned plea: only the person enduring suffering can decide their own fate.
Oppelli’s first request for an assessment to access assisted suicide was submitted to her local health authority (Azienda sanitaria universitaria giuliano isontina) in August 2023 and was rejected. Two subsequent requests, backed by legal action, were also denied, with the third refusal issued on June 4. The health authority reportedly claimed Oppelli “was not undergoing any life-sustaining treatment,” despite her “complete dependence on continuous caregiver assistance and medical devices (medications, catheter, and cough assist machine).”
On June 19, supported by the Luca Coscioni legal team led by lawyer Filomena Gallo, Oppelli formally challenged the third denial and issued a formal warning to the health authority. While this triggered a new medical evaluation process, Oppelli chose to travel to Switzerland. The association explained she “decided to go… to access voluntary assisted death because it was impossible for her to wait any longer for a response: her suffering was in no way tolerable.”
In a final video recorded in Switzerland, Oppelli stated she was “forced” to leave Italy to “die with dignity.” She renewed an appeal made over a year prior, urging parliamentarians and citizens to approve a “sensible law regulating end-of-life choices.” “Enough delays, enough being ‘put off until September’,” she implored, “because there are greater urgencies.” Every pain “deserves respect.” “In these last two years,” she said, “my body has disintegrated, I have no strength left, even voice commands no longer understand me. I also have a bladder catheter… Put political disputes aside, because there is no right, left, or center, we are all human beings.”
The Senate is currently examining end-of-life legislation. Yesterday, the Coscioni association’s popular initiative bill, calling for the legalization of all end-of-life choices including active euthanasia and backed by over 70,000 signatures, was formally introduced.
Democratic Party politician Debora Serracchiani called Oppelli’s death in Switzerland “a defeat for our institutions; we left her alone. Her calm last words weigh like stones.” Furio Honsell, a regional councillor (Open Sinistra Fvg), stated: “Martina Oppelli’s cry cannot be ignored… It is essential to resume, with conviction and responsibility, a process of reflection on the urgent issue of end-of-life.” The Patto per l’Autonomia council group echoed the call for serious consideration of the topic.