Portuguese lawmakers have rejected a proposal to legalise euthanasia and doctor-assisted suicide.

Drafted by the ruling Socialists, the bill garnered 110 votes in the 230-seat parliament but was voted down by 115 opponents, with 4 abstentions, after a heated debate and a vote that required each lawmaker to declare his or her stance.

The Portuguese Doctors’ Association opposed the change, saying it violated key principles of the medical profession.

The outcome of Portugal’s vote was expected to be close as the two main parties, the Socialists and the main opposition Social Democratic Party, allowed their lawmakers to vote according to their conscience. The two parties have 175 of the 230 members of the Republican Assembly, Portugal’s parliament. Another of the government’s hard left allies, the Communists, voted against the legislation, joining the conservative CDS-PP on the other end of the political spectrum.

Inciting or assisting euthanasia is currently punishable by up to three years in prison.