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Paralyzed Italian Woman Ends Life Using Eye-Controlled Device in Assisted Suicide

The case exposes a legal gap that pushed engineers to enable self-dosing to fit Italy’s ban on euthanasia.

Overview

  • Libera, 55, died at home Wednesday after starting an intravenous lethal drug with her eyes using a system built by Italy’s National Research Council.
  • The setup tracked her gaze on a screen, required repeated on‑screen confirmations, and then activated an infusion pump, with a saline trial run at her house before the procedure.
  • She had clearance for assisted suicide in July 2024, but total paralysis blocked standard self-administration, prompting the Florence tribunal to consult the Constitutional Court and then order the CNR to design and test a device.
  • She is Italy’s 14th assisted-suicide case and the first known to use an eye-controlled system, with the Association Luca Coscioni confirming the death.
  • The device preserved the legal requirement that patients trigger the drug while euthanasia remains illegal, and her final message urged a clear national law to end years-long waits.