But it is still a long way off until the proposal can become law. The House of Representatives and the Senate are believed to send revised proposals back and forth before both chambers can agree on a final law.
The issue is divisive both among the people and among parliamentarians, and all parties have given their members the right to vote according to their own conscience and not along party lines.
According to the current proposal, only adults of sound mind will be allowed to "request help to die", and they must suffer from an incurable disease that is relatively short-term life-threatening, and whose pain cannot be alleviated, according to the proposal.
If healthcare personnel give their approval, a lethal substance will then be prescribed to the patient, who can administer it themselves or receive help from someone else. Minors and patients suffering from psychiatric or neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's, will not be able to receive death assistance, according to the proposal.
