Martina Oppelli, Denied Assisted Suicide in Italy, Dies in Switzerland
Trieste, Italy – July 31, 2025 – Martina Oppelli, a 49-year-old Italian woman from Trieste who suffered from multiple sclerosis for over 20 years, has died in Switzerland after pursuing assisted suicide. Oppelli, who was tetraplegic and endured extreme suffering, had been denied access to medically assisted suicide three times by her local health authority in Italy, prompting her to seek end-of-life care abroad.
Oppelli’s case drew significant attention in Italy, highlighting the country’s restrictive laws on assisted suicide. On June 4, 2025, the Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Giuliano Isontina (ASUGI) rejected her third request, citing the absence of life-sustaining treatments as a barrier to meeting Italy’s legal criteria, despite her complete dependence on caregivers, medications, and a cough assist machine. Her lawyer, Filomena Gallo of the Luca Coscioni Association, condemned the decision as “inhumane” and “a form of torture,” arguing it violated constitutional rulings. Oppelli herself expressed exhaustion, stating, “Facing another summer in these conditions is unbearable suffering.”
Facing continued denials, Oppelli announced her intent to travel to Switzerland, where assisted suicide is legal for both residents and foreigners, provided it is performed without selfish motives and the individual acts autonomously. On July 30, 2025, she passed away at a Swiss assisted dying facility, though the specific organization—such as Dignitas or Pegasos—was not disclosed. Her decision followed a legal battle that included an opposition filed on June 19, 2025, against ASUGI’s denial, which the health authority responded to by promising a new evaluation, but no resolution was reached in time.
Oppelli’s death has reignited debates in Italy over end-of-life rights. The Luca Coscioni Association, which supported her case, has launched a petition for a popular initiative law to expand access to assisted dying. Gallo stated, “Martina’s case shows the cruelty of forcing people to leave their country to die with dignity.” Critics of Italy’s laws argue that constitutional rulings, such as the 2019 and 2024 decisions, are being ignored by health authorities, while opponents of assisted suicide warn of potential risks to vulnerable populations.
Switzerland’s permissive stance on assisted suicide, legal since 1941, has made it a destination for “suicide tourism,” with organizations like Dignitas and Pegasos facilitating deaths for foreigners. Oppelli’s story echoes others, such as Ann Bruce, a British woman who died in Switzerland in 2021 to avoid a painful decline from Parkinson’s, underscoring the global disparity in end-of-life options.
Oppelli’s legacy is one of resilience and advocacy. In her final statements, she expressed love for life but also despair at her prolonged suffering and the lack of legal recourse in Italy. “I’m tired, and I believed in a secular state that would grant me this right,” she said. Her death is likely to fuel ongoing campaigns for legal reform in Italy and beyond.