Auf Wiedersehen Alice and Ellenleaving the scene together, as they have been together all their lives, in private and on stage. Alice and Ellen Kessler, among the most famous artistic couples on the post-war European scene, reportedly resorted to assisted suicide. How come? And where are we in Italy regarding such a choice?
According to what was reported by the German media, in fact, the twins chose assisted suicide, a practice admitted in Germany under specific conditions, then leaving their legacy to Doctors Without Borders, UNICEF and other associations. News that reignites the debate on the end of life, a central theme in the ethical and legislative debate for years, especially in Italy where an organic law is still missing.
The Kesslers, protagonists of European pop culture for decades, would have decided to end their lives independently with a conscious act, in compliance with German legislation. A choice that recalls the right to self-determination, raising questions about individual freedom, dignity in dying and the responsibility of institutions.
Germany: assisted suicide has been decriminalized since 2020
In 2020 the German Constitutional Court ruled that every individual has the right to one “self-determined death”declaring the law prohibiting assisted suicide unconstitutional. Since then, assisted suicide has been legally possible, but:
Requirements to access it
Anyone who wants to resort to assisted suicide must:
– be of age
– capable of understanding and wanting
– act in full decision-making autonomy
The person providing care cannot directly carry out the act (otherwise it would be active euthanasia, prohibited in Germany).
The German numbers
The figures show a limited but significant use of the procedure, generally by people suffering from degenerative pathologies or in conditions of extreme suffering.
The Italian picture: between judicial battles and legislative vacuum
In Italy the issue remains unresolved. The end-of-life law does not exist. To date, decisions are guided by two instruments and a sentence:
- Rule on DAT (2017): le Advance treatment instructions they allow you to refuse invasive care and treatments, avoiding therapeutic fury;
- Ruling 242/2019 (Dj Fabo case)
The Constitutional Court declared it not punishable, pursuant to art. 580 of the Criminal Code, anyone who facilitates the suicide of a person who:
This ruling has opened a window of opportunity, but only for extremely specific cases. Access is not automatic.
As for the current procedure, the request must be sent to your local health authority. A multidisciplinary medical commission evaluates clinical documentation and methods. The dossier passes to the ethics committee for a (non-binding) opinion and then, only after verification, the person can decide whether to proceed.
At what point have politics and the Regions moved
In 2021, the House approved an end-of-life bill, which was never discussed in the Senate. Today the government announced intentions to intervene, but the parties remain distant.
As for the Regions:
The Italian data
From the Englaro case to the Kessler sisters: dignity in dying
The names of Eluana Englaro and DJ Fabo have marked fundamental passages in the Italian history of the end of life. Alice and Ellen Kessler, with their choice, bring the topic back to the center of Europe today. They are public figures who, at the height of their lives, claimed self-determination down to their last gesture.
Assisted suicide is a topic that does not accept ambiguity: it moves on a terrain that combines personal freedom, suffering, medical responsibility and ethical values. Germany recognizes the right to a self-determined death. Italy is getting there with sentences, while politics remains at a standstill.
The case of the Kessler sisters forcefully shows that the decision about how to die can be, for some, an integral part of the right to live with dignity. It is up to the States to decide whether to guarantee this freedom or continue to postpone it.
Sources: Luca Coscioni Association / Numero Bianco
