Sardinia on Wednesday approved a regional law regulating end-of-life care. The bill follows text drafted by the Luca Coscioni association.

The group has campaigned for years for assisted-suicide rights in Italy. It has also helped some terminally ill people seek assistance, after previously taking patients to Dignitas in Zurich.

The measure sets procedures for physician-assisted suicide. It mirrors the law approved earlier this year in Tuscany, which became the first Italian region to adopt such rules.

Those regional laws respond to a 2019 ruling by the Constitutional Court. The court said assisted suicide may be allowed in narrow cases: irreversible illness, unbearable suffering, dependence on life-sustaining treatment, and capacity to decide freely. Regional rules aim to put that decision framework into practice.

The Sardinian vote exposed political divisions. Observers note the new law faces a strong risk of a constitutional challenge from the national government, as happened after Tuscany’s vote.

Supporters said the law provides clarity and local procedures for patients and doctors. Opponents warned the region may have exceeded its powers and called for national legislation instead.

Italy now faces a patchwork of regional rules on end-of-life care while national parliament has yet to pass comprehensive legislation. The next likely step is judicial review or a political clash in Rome.