Decision Made with Regard to a Proposed Referendum on Euthanasia

The National Election Office (NVB) has rejected the joint referendum initiative of the opposition party Momentum and Dániel Karsai on end-of-life decisions, reports Index and Magyar Nemzet.

Dániel Karsai himself was not allowed to participate in the vote on the first two questions after Tamás Fazekas, a politician of the Párbeszéd party and member of the NVB, declared bias on his part. Due to health problems, Karsai was unable to participate in the vote in person.

His brother Péter Karsai relayed that he believes Hungarian voters want to express their opinion on the euthanasia issue, saying

it was really a matter for 10 million Hungarians, and if we get the official justification, we will continue the fight on that basis.”

Róbert Sasvári, president of the NVB, refused to certify the questions proposed for the referendum, because in his opinion, they are really about “the legal status of assisted suicide.” The suggestions basically concern the legislative process and would violate the constitution.

Dániel Karsai. Photo: Facebook

The proposed referendum on euthanasia would have included the following questions:

Do you want parliament to amend the rule of the Penal Code criminalizing assisted suicide so that it does not apply to assistance to persons with full capacity who suffer from a terminal illness that is incurable, causes them unbearable physical or mental suffering, and is incompatible with human dignity, and for whom no improvement can be expected?
Do you want parliament to amend the rule in the Penal Code criminalizing assisted suicide so that it does not apply to assistance provided to persons who are fully capable of acting, and who, because of their physical condition, are in a situation incompatible with human dignity and without the possibility of improvement?

Karsai, who is currently suffering from other health problems in addition to his underlying illness, thanked Momentum for its support on his social media page on Wednesday, the day before the vote.

“Tomorrow afternoon at 4:00 pm, the Election Committee will decide on the referendum questions submitted. Unfortunately, I cannot be there personally, but my brother Peter will more than hold the front. Thanks again to Momentum and Rebeka Szabó for their support,” he wrote.

Politicizing Assisted Suicide Does not Serve the Protection of Society

The case of Daniel Karsai is being treated as a test-case in Hungary, but legal changes are not expected.Continue reading