Eluana Englaro

Eluana Englaro, born in Lecco on 25 November 1970, was a figure of profound significance in recent Italian civil and cultural history. Her life underwent a dramatic turn on 18 January 1992, when she became the victim of a serious car accident. As a result of the injuries sustained, the young woman entered a vegetative state that lasted for seventeen years.

Her personal case soon became a matter of national resonance, placing itself at the centre of a prolonged and complex judicial confrontation. On the one hand, Eluana's family fought to obtain authorisation for the interruption of life-support treatments; on the other, the Italian judiciary addressed the question from a legal perspective, whilst simultaneously triggering a heated political and social debate on end-of-life issues.

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The farewell

9 febbraio 2009 · Udine