Praha -The Senate rebuffed the euthanasia bill put forward by senator Václava Domšová from the Union of Independents-European Democrats (SNK-ED) with majority of the lawmakers voting against the bill.

The law would legalize not only assisted suicide, but would also give patients in a coma, the right to die with a doctor's help.

Opponents fear that under the proposed bill, in extreme cases the doctor would euthanize the patient himself, which would not be a case of assisted suicide, but a pre-agreed killing the patient.

Among the critics of the bill is Health Minister Tomáš Julínek, Human Rights Minister Džamila Stehlíková and Defence Minister Vlasta Parkanová, who dubbed the bill „legalized trade in death."

Find out more: First proposal on euthanasia reaches parliament

Doctor´s task

According to Stehlíková, the bill breaches the international conventions on human rights and basic right to life. Stehlíková warned against abuse of the bill.

"People often think there is only one choice - suffer or let the doctor kill the suffering patient," Stehlíková commented the euthanasia bill in July.

"It is doctors´ task to secure a man´s dignity and help him or her not to suffer physically nor mentally," said Stehlíková.

"Doctors confirm that no patient that is given a good care of body and soul has never asked for euthanasia," said Stehlíková shortly after the bill was rejected.

Read more: How would euthanasia work in practice?

Inspiration abroad

When drafting the bill, Domšová was inspired by laws that legalized euthanasia in Belgium and the state of Oregon in the United States.

Euthanasia demanded by a patient can be legally carried out in the Netherlands, Belgium, United States´ Oregon, Colombia and Switzerland.

According to the poll conducted by SC&C for Mladá fronta Dnes daily, two thirds of Czech citizens would like to see euthanasia legalized.