Czechia poised for historic debate on legalizing assisted dying

For the first time ever, euthanasia will take center stage in Czech politics ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections.

The Mayors and Independents party (STAN) has included a proposal in its election platform to submit legislation to the Chamber of Deputies that would legalize assisted dying—allowing patients to request medical termination of life.

This marks a significant break from decades of political silence on a topic long considered taboo, despite strong public support while bring to light the challenging state of the country’s pallitave care.

While several European countries, such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Spain, have already legalized euthanasia or assisted suicide under strict conditions, Czech politicians have traditionally avoided the topic.

Yet, polls indicate nearly 73 percent of Czechs back the right to assisted dying, with opposition mainly from practicing Roman Catholics.

The debate also exposes a deeper challenge: the state of palliative care in Czechia. STAN’s leader, Vít Rakušan, has emphasized that legalizing euthanasia must go hand-in-hand with improving palliative care services—a sector where the Czech Republic still lags behind many of its neighbors.

“We place great emphasis on improving the quality of palliative care, where our system still has significant progress to make. However, for those extreme cases of unbearable suffering that modern medicine cannot relieve, we have decided—perhaps somewhat boldly—to include assisted dying in our program as a last resort, under strict safeguards,” said Rakušan.

Unlike some Western European countries with extensive hospice networks and home care options, Czech palliative services vary widely in quality and availability, and are generally considered insufficient compared to neighbors like Germany or the UK.

In response to growing needs, Masaryk University’s Faculty of Medicine has recently expanded its palliative care curriculum to better prepare future doctors to manage serious illness and end-of-life care with compassion and communication skills. Palliative specialists there stress that “death is part of life” and that physicians must learn to support patients in living well, even with incurable diseases.

Other political parties, including the Pirates and ANO, have shown tentative interest in discussing euthanasia, suggesting the upcoming elections could finally bring the issue into mainstream parliamentary debate. However, no detailed legislation has yet been proposed, with STAN viewing this moment as the start of a broader societal and expert conversation.