Labour proposes euthanasia referendum
Prime Minister had pledged to introduce bill on assisted dying during last legislature
A Labour government will hold a referendum on the legalisation of euthanasia, according to its manifesto published on Friday.
The referendum is one of the more-than 1,000 pledges in PL’s 263-page document manifesto.
After the Labour Party promised a “national discussion” on euthanasia ahead of the 2022 election, the debate on the issue became a concrete legislative process in 2025, when the government published a white paper and announced a public consultation.
"The public participated enthusiastically and expressed different views on this issue," the manifesto reads. "The Labour Party believes that the discussion on this delicate subject should continue and that the people should be given the opportunity to express their view through a referendum.”
The white paper called for euthanasia to be allowed for terminally ill patients with less than six months to live, required the patient to be mentally capable and acting voluntarily, and proposed criminalising coercion or encouraging someone to choose assisted dying.
The referendum pledge appears to be contradict a previous pledge made by Prime Minister Robert Abela in July, who had said that the government would eventually introduce a bill, but not before analysing the large volume of submissions.
Later that month, he said it would take months to go through the consultation feedback and that it was too early to discuss whether MPs would get a free vote on the eventual bill.
The two-month consultation went on to receive more than 15,000 submissions.
Reactions to the white paper by civil society were mixed. Reforms Parliamentary Secretary Rebecca Buttigieg, who spearheaded the proposal, framed it as a controlled, voluntary option for terminally ill adults who want to end life “in dignity”.
Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela said that his experience with terminally ill people in extreme pain led him to believe doctor-assisted dying can be justified in extreme cases.
A group of 58 University of Malta academics backed the proposal, arguing that a carefully regulated law could uphold both individual rights and public safety.
However, a separate group of 153 scholars said they had "serious concerns" about the government's plan.
Archbishop Charles Scicluna warned that a right to die could become a “duty to die”, and said the proposal would turn doctors’ duty of care into a “duty to kill”.
The Medical Association of Malta said legalising euthanasia at this stage would be premature because Malta’s end-of-life care is not good enough. MAM warned that no patient should feel assisted dying is their only option because of poor symptom control or lack of support.
Palliative care doctors warned the proposed law could undermine patient safety, erode medical ethics and bypass urgently needed end-of-life reforms.