ROME (Reuters). Italy’s Constitutional Court turned down Tuesday’s request to have a referendum about the right to death. Proponents had collected nearly a million signatures to support the idea.

Italian rights-to die advocates are seeking to partially abrogate the penalties imposed on people who help patients commit suicide after they have received palliative care or have suffered from incurable illness.

The Constitutional Court stated in a statement that repealing penalties would not protect the minimum constitutional standards for protecting human life “especially for the weak or the vulnerable”.

A 2019 court decision partially exempted assisted suicide from criminalization if it was approved by the local ethics board and the health authority. But, the court also recommended that parliament adopt a regulation for the practice.

Marco Cappato is one of the most vocal supporters of a referendum. He said that the court’s decision was “a terrible news for those who are suffering and will (have to) face) more unbearable suffering in contra their will.”

Last year, Right-to-Die proponents collected over twice as many signatures to obtain approval for a referendum.

A law would enable terminally ill patients and doctors to access assisted suicide through the national healthcare system.

Enrico Letta (leader of the center-left Democratic Party, PD) wrote that the Constitutional Court’s decision should push Parliament to approve assisted suicide legislation on Twitter (NYSE:).

It is not clear how divided the Italian political parties are on this issue. The centre-left supports it, while the centre right opposes. Pope Francis condemned assisted suicide recently as an unacceptable departure from medical ethics.

In 2019, 92% of Italians surveyed said that they would allow assisted suicide or euthanasia. It was supported by 45% of respondents, and only 47% in some cases.