ABSTRACT
The topic of how to deal with the end of life in medical and legal terms is a relatively recent debate in Europe. This gave rise to issues concerning the definition of brain death and introduced the issue of 'quality of life' in the public debate over the definition of death. In the first phase of the debate, the main actors were the experts, in the fields of ethics and medicine, the groups and associations promoting the regulation of euthanasia and advance directives, and the Catholic Church. The second phase of the debate on the end of life was characterized by a wide attention to foreign countries, and an increasing politicization of the issue, under Berlusconi's centre-right government. The third phase of the debate was characterized by a wide and large mediatization. Finally, the fourth phase of the debate was characterized by media and political attention devoted to the case of Eluana Englaro, and the switches in the decision arenas.
