Italian euthanasia campaigners announced that they have collected a half a million signatures to force consideration of a referendum on the issue.

Any response to the petition would have to be introduced as a parliamentary initiative. Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s grand coalition has a narrow mandate to enact reforms, and is unlikely to seek to introduce such divisive legislation.

Health Minister Roberto Speranza, leader of the left-wing party Article One, has said that he was personally convinced of the need to change the law and hoped parliament “would find a consensus.”

However, any new bill would face strong opposition from both the Catholic Church and some politicians.

Maurizio Gasparri, a senator in Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party, who is against the measures, said it was not up to Speranza to make a decision and said it was “improper” that the country’s constitutional court had effectively sought to bring in legislation through the back door.

“This tendency to suggest laws and say parliament must create them by a certain date leaves me perplexed. It must be a matter for parliament,” Gasparri said.