A 43-year-old quadriplegic man in Italy has won the approval of regional health authorities in his his bid to to avail of assisted suicide.

The man, identified only as Mario, was paralyzed in a traffic accident 10 years ago. He had initially decided to go to Switzerland, which has euthanasia laws in place, but then decided to take his case forward in Italy.

A 2019 decision by the country’s Constitutional Court found that assisted suicide was permissible when patients are able to make decisions and are in ‘overwhelming pain’, effectively legalising it. Opponents are concerned it will pave the way for vulnerable people to be put under pressure and the grounds for assisted suicide will expand, as in other countries.

In practice, however, the country’s health system lacks any kind of established pathway to request assisted suicide. Mario’s case is the first of its kind since the Constitutional Court decision, and thus stands to set an important precedent.

The latest decision by the ethical board of the health authority in the region of Marche should clear the way for the patient to go through with the assisted suicide, although the method by which it can be carried out remains to be decided.