Euthanasia and assisted suicide in Spain and Portugal: a legal comparison

Abstract

This article summarizes, for the first time, the laws on aid in dying (euthanasia and medically assisted
suicide) in Spain and Portugal. Four aspects of each law will be identified in particular: the type of
assisted dying, the administrative requirements, the clinical requirements, and the different steps in the
application process. Subsequently, the convergences and divergences between Spain and Portugal will
be analyzed, with special emphasis on the ethically problematic elements that could be of interest to
those countries that are close to legislating their respective laws. Finally, a brief section will be devoted
to analyzing how the ruling of the Portuguese Constitutional Court, issued after the preceding sections
of this article were written and relating to the Portuguese law on assisted dying, will influence the final
configuration of that law.