In May 2025, the Office of the Prime Minister, spearheaded by the Parliamentary Secretariat for Reforms and Equality, launched a public consultation document on voluntary assisted euthanasia together with an ancillary document that outlines the principles and safeguards proposed on voluntary assisted euthanasia.
The aim of this document is to spur national debate on this highly sensitive topic, satisfying an electoral manifesto commitment that was made. The document proposes that assisted euthanasia should be available to those with terminal illnesses with six months or less to live and who have exhausted other treatments and therapies and are in a healthy mental state. The document also proposes that no one could opt for the euthanasia decision on a patient’s behalf, and any suggestion or coercion by those other than the patient would be considered a criminal offense. There is mention of a medical panel to assess the requests within specified timeframes. Other proposals in the document include those around where euthanasia can take place and living wills.
This public consultation is open for a period of two months and can be accessed through the following link: https://www.gov.mt/en/publicconsultation/Pages/2025/NL-0019-2025.aspx.