Life Story from the right-to-die movement in Italy

Le dossier présenté dans ce numéro a pour origine un colloque international tenu en mars 2018 à Bruxelles et intitulé La mobilisation du droit par les mouvements sociaux et la société civile. Cet évènement était organisé dans le cadre de l’Action de recherche concertée (ARC) Strategic Litigation (2015–2019). Coordonné par Annemie Schaus, ce projet de recherche avait pour ambition d’explorer la circulation transnationale de la pratique dite du « contentieux stratégique », autrement dit la démarche consistant, pour un acteur social, à engager un recours en justice dans le but de provoquer un changement politique ou social reflétant les valeurs ou idéaux qu’il défend. A fundamental dimension of comparative studies on social movements is the use of civil disobedience by activists as means of both overcoming the shortcomings of the law and exerting mass pressure on the political system. The article attempts to develop a reflection about civil disobedience by considering the case of the Italian right-to-die movement. In particular, it notes the key role that strategic litigation initially had in legitimizing the movement in public opinion and advancing its political goals. More importantly, the article notes that the movement also strongly relied on civil disobedience and it attempts to explore the interplay of various strategies, such as strategic litigation, disobedience to the law, and institutional change. Instead of asking which of these strategies – civil disobedience or the litigation – brought changes, the article examines how they interacted, each shaping and reinforcing the other. Indeed, the article concludes by stressing that all strategies – litigation, civil disobedience, and institutional change – have been a critical part of the campaigns carried on by the right-to-die movement in the country. In dealing with these questions, the article is based on the ‘life story’ of a leading activist of the Italian right-to-die movement.